Arthur Laing Bridge
Arthur Laing Bridge | |
|---|---|
 Aerial view of the Arthur Laing Bridge in 2005 | |
| Coordinates | 49°11′58″N 123°08′09″W / 49.199317°N 123.135817°W |
| Carries | 4 lanes of Grant McConachie Way bicycles |
| Crosses | North Arm of the Fraser River |
| Locale | Richmond Vancouver |
| Maintained by | Vancouver International Airport |
| Preceded by | Marpole Bridge (1889 – 1957) |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Cantilever bridge |
| Total length | 1,676 metres (5,499 ft) |
| Width | 20 metres (66 ft) |
| Longest span | 270 metres (890 ft) |
| History | |
| Designer | Cochrane Group |
| Opened | August 27, 1975 |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 79,000 |
| Location | |
The Arthur Laing Bridge is a cantilever bridge that crosses over the North Arm of the Fraser River. It goes from South Vancouver neighbourhood of Marpole to Sea Island in Richmond, British Columbia. It connects Grant McConachie Way and SW Marine Drive. It is both owned and maintained by the Vancouver International Airport (YVR).
Before the building of the bridge, the Marpole Bridge served as the bridge between Marpole and Richmond. After the populations of the nearby areas increased over the years, more traffic followed with it. The increasing congestion, along with structural deterioration and multiple boat crashes caused the Government of British Columbia to replace the bridge with the Oak Street Bridge which opened on June 29, 1957.[1]
In 1963, the Minister of Northern Affairs and National Resources Arthur Laing annonunced a new toll bridge to be built on the site of the old bridge. On September 6, 1974, Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau officially named the bridge the Arthur Laing Bridge after Laing.[2] On August 27, 1975, the bridge was opened to vehicle traffic.[3]
References
- ↑ "The Daily Colonist, 4 Aug 1954". archive.org. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
- ↑ "Arthur Laing political campaign ad sewing kit c. 1953-1968". Museum of Vancouver. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
The Rt. Hon. Pierre Elliot Trudeau, PC, MP, Prime Minister of Canada announced on September 6, 1974, that a new bridge over the North Arm of the Fraser River and connecting Granville Street in Vancouver with Sea Island in Richmond would be named "The Arthur Laing Bridge".
- ↑ "The Daily Colonist, 22 Aug 1975". archive.org. Retrieved March 30, 2026.
Other websites
Media related to Arthur Laing Bridge at Wikimedia Commons