8-1024: The New Westminster Bridge (also known as the New Westminster Rail Bridge ( NSRW ) or the Fraser River Swing Bridge ) is a swing bridge that crosses the Fraser River and connects New Westminster with Surrey, British Columbia , Canada. The bridge is owned by the Government of Canada , operated and maintained by the Canadian National Railway , with the Southern Railway of British Columbia (SRY), Canadian Pacific Kansas City , and BNSF Railway having track usage rights, as do Amtrak 's Cascades (with service to Portland and Seattle ) and Via Rail 's The Canadian (with service to Toronto ). The New Westminster Bridge
16-507: A flexible walking track bridge which "swings" as you walk across.) In the UK, there is a legal definition in current statute as to what is, or is not a 'swing bridge' The largest double swing-span bridge in the United States is the 3,250 feet (990 m) long, 450 feet (140 m) navigable span, 60 feet (18 m) clearance George P. Coleman Memorial Bridge . Omaha NE Turn Style Bridge
24-538: A bridge which intersects the navigation channel at an oblique angle may be built to rotate only 45 degrees, or one-eighth turn, in order to clear the channel. Small swing bridges as found over narrow canals may be pivoted only at one end, opening as would a gate, but require substantial underground structure to support the pivot. Many inner cities have swing bridges, since these require less street space than other types of bridges. (A "swing bridge" in New Zealand refers to
32-520: The swing span (turning span) can then pivot horizontally as shown in the animated illustration to the right. In its closed position, a swing bridge carrying a road or railway over a river or canal , for example, allows traffic to cross. When a water vessel needs to pass the bridge, road traffic is stopped (usually by traffic signals and barriers), and then motors rotate the bridge horizontally about its pivot point. The typical swing bridge will rotate approximately 90 degrees, or one-quarter turn; however,
40-453: The historic community of Brownsville ) located in the city of Surrey . The toll for the upper bridge was 25 cents and created quite an uproar for farmers who found out quickly that by taking their livestock across on foot would cost them a quarter a head but if they put them in a truck it cost a quarter for the whole load. The bridge was the preferred method of transport across the Fraser until
48-536: The opening of the Pattullo Bridge in 1937. The upper deck was removed and the bridge was converted exclusively for rail use. On May 29, 1982, a significant fire broke out on the New Westminster Bridge. On November 28, 1987, a barge struck the bridge. The resulting legal action of Canadian National Railway Co. v. Norsk Pacific Steamship Co. became a leading Supreme Court of Canada decision. As of 2004,
56-418: The speed limit for trains was 11 miles per hour (18 kilometres per hour), which had been increased from 8 mph (13 km/h). Swing bridge A swing bridge (or swing span bridge ) is a movable bridge that can be rotated horizontally around a vertical axis. It has as its primary structural support a vertical locating pin and support ring, usually at or near to its center of gravity, about which
64-486: Was constructed in 1904 and formally opened on July 23 by the Lieutenant governor of British Columbia . It was originally built with two decks; the lower deck was used for rail traffic while the upper deck was used for automobile traffic. Crossing the river prior to the construction of the New Westminster Bridge required using the K de K ferry which would dock at the present day neighbourhood of South Westminster (formerly
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