Gordie Howe Bridge (Saskatoon)
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The Gordie Howe Bridge is a vehicular freeway bridge that spans the
South Saskatchewan River The South Saskatchewan River is a major river in the Canadian provinces of Alberta and Saskatchewan. The river begins at the confluence of the Bow River, Bow and Oldman Rivers in southern Alberta and ends at the Saskatchewan River Forks in ce ...
in
Saskatoon Saskatoon () is the largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Saskatchewan. It straddles a bend in the South Saskatchewan River in the central region of the province. It is located along the Trans-Canada Hig ...
,
Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, on the north by the Northwest Territories, on the east by Manitoba, to the northeast by Nunavut, and to the south by the ...
,
Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
. It is a steel
girder bridge A girder bridge is a bridge that uses girders as the means of supporting its deck. The two most common types of modern steel girder bridges are plate and box. The term "girder" is often used interchangeably with "beam" in reference to bridge d ...
, built as part of the
Circle Drive Circle Drive is a major road constructed as a Beltway, ring road in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. Its route constitutes both part of Saskatchewan Highway 16, Highway 16 and Saskatchewan Highway 11, Highway 11, signed as both along the entir ...
freeway system in southwestern Saskatoon. At the time of construction, it was projected to cost $272.5 million to build. It is the southernmost road bridge in the city. The bridge is located adjacent to the Grand Trunk Bridge. It is also the longest of Saskatoon's bridges at in length, and the first to have a concrete road surface. The bridge was scheduled to open with the completion of the entire Circle Drive South project on September 30, 2012. However, record rainfall, high water tables and an early snowfall made that deadline unfeasible. The actual completion and opening date was July 31, 2013.


Name

The bridge was first referred to simply as the Circle Drive South Bridge. The Holiday Park community association lobbied
Saskatoon City Council Saskatoon City Council is the governing body of Saskatoon, the largest city in the Canadian province of Saskatchewan Saskatchewan is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Western Canada. It is bordered on the west by Alberta, ...
to have the bridge named after Christopher J. Yorath, the city's first commissioner. Yorath created a comprehensive town plan in 1913, which included inner and outer "encircling boulevards". Parts of the present-day Circle Drive follows the course in Yorath's plan.
Yorath Island Yorath Island is a small island, in size, in the South Saskatchewan River just outside the southern boundaries of the city of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada. The island is relatively new, and did not exist when the land was first surveyed in ...
, also named for the commissioner, is located upstream from the bridge site. The city council originally decided that a naming contest would be held but then scrapped the idea because of the cost. On June 27, 2016, Saskatoon city council unanimously voted in favour of naming the bridge after recently deceased hockey legend
Gordie Howe Gordon Howe (March 31, 1928 – June 10, 2016) was a Canadian professional ice hockey player. From 1946 to 1980, he played 26 seasons in the National Hockey League (NHL) and six seasons in the World Hockey Association (WHA); his first 25 seaso ...
; a sports facility and a campground bearing his name are located just north of the bridge. Signs with the new name were installed on September 22, 2016.


Legal disputes

The city and the contractor, Graham-Flatiron, disputed over money owed after the project was completed. The city withheld $1.53 million for the delayed completion, as the contract permitted for fines of $10,000 per day late. Graham-Flatiron countered that the city caused the delays because it was too slow with environmental audits, design reviews and approvals, and the handover of land. It claimed the city owed them $19 million in unpaid invoices. The case went to arbitration in April 2015. The city then filed suit against an engineering firm, Stantec, over delays encountered during the project.


See also

* * * *
List of crossings of the South Saskatchewan River This is a list of crossings of the South Saskatchewan River in the Canadian provinces of Saskatchewan and Alberta, from the river's confluence with the North Saskatchewan River at Saskatchewan River Forks, upstream to its origin at the confluen ...
*
List of bridges in Canada This is a list of bridges and viaducts in Canada, including those for pedestrians and vehicular traffic. Historical and architectural interest bridges There are only a few covered bridges left in Canada. In Quebec, despite over 1,200 existing ...


References


External links


Circle Drive South Bridge Construction Project

City of Saskatoon Circle Drive Project
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gordie Howe Bridge Bridges in Saskatoon Road bridges in Saskatchewan Gordie Howe