Southward

Probably the main cycle trail on Southern Vancouver Island is the Galloping Goose (named after the rail line it follows through much of its length). It crosses the Gorge (an inland arm of the Harbour) over an old re-purposed train trestle, from the centre of which the above view of the city invites contemplation. That's the Bay Street (or Point Ellice) Bridge in the foreground and (if you've got sharp eyes or click the photo to enlarge it) you can see the Johnson Street Bridge further back. The latter is open to allow some marine traffic to pass.

New Bridge Update

Work continues on the foundation for the new Johnson Street Bridge. What I notice most about it now is how much larger (both wider and higher) the new bridge is than the old bridge. While I'll be sad to see the old Blue Bridge go, I am getting ever more eager to see the new one.

New Bridge Update

It's a little bit presumptuous for me to write "update" since I don't know what is happening with the new bridge, but I do know that something is happening - this big red thing appears to be getting attached to something....

And various interestingly shaped concrete structures are visible....

It looks like it will definitely be much larger than the old blue bridge.

Johnson Street Bridge Update

Here we can see the new bridge supports built right next to the old bridge. It's nice to see some progress on this though it will be another year before it is completed.

The Old Blue Bridge

Upkeep on the Johnson Street Bridge has been neglected since the idea of a new bridge was bruited a half dozen years ago and it's beginning to look pretty bedraggled. The once bright blue has faded and rusty streaks are visible. Oh well, it only has to last another year; the new bridge is expected to open in 2016.

Johnson Street Bridge Update

Here's what the bottom of Esquimalt Road looks like now. The new blacktop (that curvy bit in roughly the centre of the photo) looks like it will serve as the on-ramp to the old blue bridge. There used to be a bit of a hill there that is now a gentle rise. The new bridge is being constructed out of sight to the left of the old bridge and when completed this new bit of road will just be straightened out to lead onto the new bridge. It looks good and definitely clears up a lot of the bad sight-lines that have been traditional at that intersection where it curves around under the railroad overpass. As for the new bridge itself - it appears that due to some engineering problem it has been postponed once again for another six months - now scheduled for completion a few years from now.

Just One More of Old Blue

I have to admit this bridge is well documented here and elsewhere but it is bittersweet now that it's demise is imminent. Change is a fact of life of course but in the meantime I try to stop and enjoy these things while they are still with us. - Fern Long

Construction

Driving anywhere within a few blocks of the Johnson Street Bridge for the last few months you will likely be flagged through slowly because of the construction related to the new bridge. Lower Johnson and Pandora and the intersection with Wharf and Store streets are constantly being dug up in different ways. Of course this is one of the oldest parts of Victoria and has always been the busiest area so there are no doubt all sorts of gas and electricity lines underground that must be re-routed. The same kind of work is being done on the Vic West side of the bridge. And since the bridge approaches will be re-configured because the rail link is no longer used, there will be lots more obstruction/construction before the project is complete. I'm not complaining - if we want a new bridge then this has to be done and the construction crews are certainly working to keep traffic flowing while they do the work.

Update on New Johnson Street Bridge

After what seemed like a long time with nothing happening, construction on the new Johnson Street Bridge started in earnest a few months ago. Here is what has been accomplished so far. In the foreground, the wood-covered platform rests on a number of steel piles that I suspect will provide the foundation for the bridge. There are similar piles on the opposite side of the Gorge. I imagine that the bridge structure will be erected on top of the platform that rests on these piles. There is a good live-cam of the construction available on the website the city has devoted to this project - Click HERE. As well, there are a couple of artist's conceptions of what the new bridge will look like - click HERE.

Summer!

Canada Day Long Weekend is upon us and with the sun shining and that means the patios are open with visitors and locals alike out enjoying all the city has to offer. Pictured here is Canoe Brewpub, a great spot to enjoy the harbour and some local beer and live music! - Fern

The Blue Bridge

Here's one from the archives (I'm a bit busy today) - the Johnson Street Bridge as it used to be - two spans, one for road traffic and a smaller one for rail. Despite the voters' endorsement of plans for a new bridge, the process seems to have bogged down. The smaller of the two spans, the rail span, has been taken down and dismantled so currently only the road span is operational.

Nighttime Photography

I love going out after dark with my camera and I have visions of the kind of pictures I'm going to take but alas, it's so darn cold! I know, suffer for your art and I may be willing but my fingers are less inclined. Needless to say, this is the only picture that worked out and wasn't blurry because of chattering teeth or frozen digits. Time to bring out the tripod and a romote shutter release! - Fern

Johnson Street Bridge

With half the Johnson Street Bridge gone I am always reminded of the gap-toothed smile of a six year old, though it's not quite so engaging. Despite the near manic urgency of the decision to build a new bridge some years ago nothing seems to be happening except the projected cost is rising (up about $15 million over the original budget). Click HERE to see what the new bridge might look like and what the city has to say about the project. Click HERE to see read what a concerned citizens group has to say about problems with bridge design and budget over-runs.

Swan Song

Here's another hand held night shot from Songhees Point, the Johnson Street Bridge, looking apocalyptic in this light. I don't know when it's slated for demolition but every time I see it I expect it to be the last. (Like yesterday's photo the photo above was shot at ISO 6400 but the shutter speed on this was 1/30. These night shots (last 3 posts) were taken with my Sony Alpha 55 DSLT using a Minolta 50 mm 1.7 lens at f2.)

The Parliment Buildings

On our way to Dairy Queen for a Friday night treat I pulled over on Bay Street to try to capture this iconic building just as the lights were turned on. My copilots were anxious to be on our way so it's not quite the shot I was hoping for but I still like it.

Blue Bridge

Today's photo is just to remind my fellow Victorians that today is the day to decide the fate of the Johnson Street Bridge. The photo was taken in September a year ago when an art event to celebrate the bridge was organized by artist Derek Houston and johnsonstreetbridge.org. Lots of meetings and discussions later, today it all comes to a vote on whether to build a new bridge or not.

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UPDATE: November 21 - Victoria voted. We are to have a new bridge but since it will take 4 years to build it we will have lots of time to say goodbye the old Blue Bridge. I think we'll lose a valuable bit of our history when it's gone but I look forward to the new span with interest.

The Blue Bridge

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.

Old Town - New Lens

I've been neglecting Victoria's downtown lately because my daily rambles have been taking me down the Westsong Walkway more often. However yesterday was such a beautiful clear, sunny day that I decided to try out a new (used) lens on Johnson Street. Above is lower Johnson Street, part of what is called "Old Town" because it is the area near Fort Victoria that was earliest settled. Most of this area was built in the 1860s.

One of the advantages of a Digital Single Lens Reflex camera that will accept legacy lenses is that one can try out many different types of lenses without spending a great deal of money. Today's three photos were taken with a lens that cost $23 and I am quite pleased with it. What I look for is how sharp the lens is - I love nice crisp images; how well it reproduces color and contrast, and how well it operates mechanically. This lens performs well in all these categories and is a nice mid-range zoom (28-70 mm f3.5) that will probably become a favorite in my camera bag.

Legacy Lenses: When I refer to "Legacy lenses" I mean lenses that were produced for older style cameras - film cameras or early digital cameras. My current camera is a Sony Alpha 550digital single lens reflex. It uses any of the Sony lenses and, since Sony bought Minolta, it will also accept any of the Minolta AF lenses or third party manufacturer lenses made for Minoltas. I also have an adapter that enables my camera to accept any lenses with M42 mounts - widely used, especially for Pentax film cameras. There are several advantages to using legacy lenses. They are often very well made lenses using high quality glass. They are now much reduced in price because the cameras for which they were originally made are no longer in use. An added advantage of Sony DSLR cameras is that the image stabilization mechanism is in the camera body rather than in the lenses as with Nikon and Canon cameras. This means one can use older lenses and still have the benefits of modern image stabilization (anti-shake) technology.

Johnson Street Bridge Celebration - Part 2

A couple of weeks ago there was an art event on the Johnson Street Bridge designed to draw attention to the Johnson Street Bridge in light of the city council's plan to replace it. The event was organized by some concerned citizens working together under the direction and inspiration of artist Deryk Houston. I posted a few photos of the event and because it was so colorful and so much fun, today I am posting a few more photos. The photo above is to illustrate how participants of both genders were encouraged to lavishly apply bright red lipstick, in order to leave visible kiss marks on the bridge. And what father-in-law can resist posting a photo of his son-in-law wearing lipstick? That's my granddaughter enjoying her dad's new look.

Once the participants were on the bridge, they were programmed to raise or lower their balloons in order to have all the balloons of one colour up or down as can be seen to the right and left. This may have been to symbolize the way the bridge can be raised when required to allow tall ships to enter or depart from the Upper Harbour. (Artist Deryk Houston can be seen on the far left of the photo to the left.)

When the event was over, all those balloons were brought back to the staging area at Reeson Park and popped so that they would not become an environmental problem. Below my granddaughter Rosie participates in the popping.Since this event took place the city has been notified that it will not be receiving any stimulus funding for the bridge replacement. As a result, there is now increased reason for re-examination of the issues regarding this bridge. A good way to keep informed of the latest developments is to check the johnsonstreetbridge.org website.

Party on the Bridge

On Sunday afternoon, artist Deryk Houston choreographed a celebration of the Johnson Street Bridge. There were songs and speeches and about 500 red and yellow balloons. The old blue bridge never looked so bright and happy.(Thanks to johnsonstreetbridge.org who worked with Deryk to stage this event. Thanks also to my daughter Fern Long who provided the top photo.)