Day 247 – Ironworkers Memorial Bridge

247/365 (September 4, 2010) – Originally named the Second Narrows Bridge, it spans the second set of narrows between the North Shore and Vancouver. To the east is the original Second Narrows Bridge, which is now strictly a train bridge. On the water, the Ironworkers Memorial is the gateway between the busy Vancouver Harbour and Indian Arm, a popular boating ground.

On June 17, 1958, as a crane stretched from the north side of the new bridge to join the two chords of the unfinished arch, several spans collapsed. Seventy-nine workers plunged 30 metres (100 ft) into the water. Eighteen were killed either instantly or shortly thereafter, possibly drowned by their heavy tool belts. A diver searching for bodies drowned later, bringing the total fatalities for the collapse to 19. In a subsequent Royal Commission inquiry, the bridge collapse was attributed to miscalculation by bridge engineers. A temporary arm, holding the fifth anchor span, was deemed too light to bear the weight. The bridge was renamed the Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing in 1994 to honour the 19 workers who died in the collapse, along with four others who also died during the construction process. – Wikipedia

Have I ever mentioned how much I love this city?