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| It has been some time since I posted a photo of the Johnson Street Bridge, Victoria's unique heritage bridge and, since the spans opened yesterday when I was about to cross, it seems an opportune time. City Hall is determined to tear this bridge down despite its historical significance and considerable opposition from residents. The bridge was designed by Joseph Strauss, who also designed the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. One aspect of its uniqueness is that it is actually two bridges, one for road traffic and a narrower span for rail traffic. Wikipedia has an entry that describes some of its history and significance as well as the current status of the controversy surrounding this bridge. Or, check out the City of Victoria spin HERE or some citizen views HERE. On the right, I was surprised to see how small was the tug that was pulling this barge under the bridge. It's almost like a toy tug. It looks like a telephone booth on top of a row boat. |  |
7 comments:
Does the bridge open at set times or just when a tall vessel comes thru? I was lucky enough to be standing right near it one day when all the sirens and stuff went off. I had no idea what was wrong then I saw the bridge going up!
Hi JoJo, no it just opens when something tall needs to pass into or out of the upper harbour.
Ok, fact checking here. Calling it Victoria's spin and not also calling it "some citizen's spin" isn't very balanced. Also, it isn't clear exactly how many residents actually oppose replacing it. I don't trust anybodies polling, but I trust the johnsonstreet.org people's less.
Well I for one would like to see it seismically upgraded and repaired vs. tearing it down & rebuilt. It must have some historical significance since it's sister bridge is the famous Golden Gate.
Corey - While generally on this blog I try not to be too opinionated, I don't think I've ever made any pretense of objectivity when it comes to the JSB. I am in favour of preserving and rehabilitating it. City Council was not elected on this issue and thousands of city residents are opposed to council's decision. Yet city council refuses to offer citizens a straightforward choice: Should we keep the bridge or should we replace the bridge? A simple majority either way would decide the matter and council could get on with implementing the chosen option.
"Spin" and "views" both imply opinions rather than facts, but I used both words with the awareness of their different connotations.
I've just spent a few days in Victoria playing tourist and it just baffles me that a city council would even think of tearing down a bridge that is such a symbol of Victoria, as much as that other bridge Strauss designed is for its city!
My 'opinion' is that if the bridge is rusted beyond repair that would exceed the cost of replacement, it should be replaced.As aesthetically and culturally significant as it is, it is still just a very, very short bridge that is prone to rust/aging and a new one may be necessary that can last longer.
I question how the rust was not prevented from beginning in the first place, but that is hindsight now.
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