The Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing, also called the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and Second Narrows Bridge, is the second bridge constructed at the Second (east) Narrows of Burrard Inlet in

Vancouver Vancouver is a major city in Western Canada, located in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia. As the List of cities in British Columbia, most populous city in the province, the 2021 Canadian census recorded 662,248 people in the cit ...

, British Columbia, Canada. Originally named the Second Narrows Bridge, it connects Vancouver to the North Shore of Burrard Inlet, which includes the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and West Vancouver. It was constructed adjacent to the older Second Narrows Bridge, which is now exclusively a rail bridge. Its construction, from 1956 to 1960, was marred by a multi-death collapse on June 17, 1958. The First Narrows Bridge, better known as Lions Gate Bridge, crosses Burrard Inlet about west of the Second Narrows. The bridge is a steel truss cantilever bridge, designed by Swan Wooster Engineering Co. Ltd. Construction began in November 1957, and the bridge was officially opened on August 25, 1960. It cost approximately $23 million to build. Tolls were charged until April 1, 1963. The bridge is long with a centre span of . It is part of the

Trans-Canada Highway The Trans-Canada Highway (Canadian French, French: ; abbreviated as the TCH or T-Can) is a transcontinental federal–provincial highway system that travels through all ten provinces of Canada, from the Pacific Ocean on the west coast to the A ...

( Highway 1).

Collapse

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 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 nineteen. In a subsequent Royal Commission inquiry, the bridge collapse was attributed to miscalculation by bridge engineers. A temporary support, holding the fifth anchor span, was deemed insufficient to bear the weight. In December 1957, a safety inspector from the British Columbia Workmen's Compensation Board had reported that the installation of a safety net under the work platforms was "impracticable" following the death of another steelworker.

Renaming

The bridge was renamed the "Ironworkers Memorial Second Narrows Crossing" on June 17, 1994, to honour the eighteen workers who died in the collapse, along with one rescue diver and four other workers who also died during the construction process.

In popular culture

Stompin' Tom Connors Charles Thomas "Stompin' Tom" Connors, Order of Canada, OC (February 9, 1936 – March 6, 2013) was a Canadian country music, country and folk music, folk singer-songwriter. Focusing his career exclusively on his native Canada, he is credited wi ...

paid a musical tribute to the fallen ironworkers with the song "The Bridge Came Tumbling Down" on his 1972 album ''My Stompin' Grounds''. (This song also appears on several later compilations, one of which was performed by Les Claypool's Duo de Twang). *

Jimmy Dean Jimmy Ray Dean (August 10, 1928 – June 13, 2010) was an American country music singer, television host, actor and businessman. He was the creator of the Jimmy Dean (brand), Jimmy Dean sausage brand as well as the spokesman for its TV comm ...

's 1962 song "Steel Men" is a ballad about the Second Narrows bridge disaster. * Gary Geddes' 2007 book of poetry, entitled ''Falsework,'' is based on the collapse of the bridge.

Bibliography

* Jamieson, Eric, ''Tragedy at Second Narrows: The Story of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge'', Harbour Publishing, 2008. * Rasky, Frank, ''Great Canadian Disasters'', Longman, 1961. (chapter 10)

Notes

* On February 2, 2009, several

University of British Columbia The University of British Columbia (UBC) is a Public university, public research university with campuses near University of British Columbia Vancouver, Vancouver and University of British Columbia Okanagan, Kelowna, in British Columbia, Canada ...

engineering students were arrested while attempting to suspend the shell of a

Volkswagen Beetle The Volkswagen Beetle, officially the Volkswagen Type 1, is a small family car produced by the German company Volkswagen from 1938 to 2003. One of the most iconic cars in automotive history, the Beetle is noted for its distinctive shape. Its pr ...

under the bridge as part of an "Engineering Week" tradition.

References

External links

History of Metropolitan Vancouver

Satellite image of the Ironworkers Memorial Bridge and Second Narrows BridgeVancouver, BC Bridge Under Construction Collapses, June 1958
at GenDisasters.com

"Collapse of the Second Narrows Bridge during Construction" - Journal article in American Society of Civil Engineers 2017 {{Crossings navbox , structure = Crossings , place = Burrard Inlet , bridge = Ironworkers Memorial Bridge , bridge signs = , upstream text = West , upstream = SeaBus , upstream signs = , downstream text = East , downstream = Second Narrows Bridge , downstream signs = Bridges in Greater Vancouver Cantilever bridges in Canada Bridges completed in 1960 Transport in North Vancouver (district municipality) Bridge disasters in Canada Bridge disasters caused by engineering error Disasters in British Columbia History of Vancouver Labor monuments and memorials Road bridges in British Columbia Bridges on the Trans-Canada Highway Monuments and memorials in British Columbia Buildings and structures in Vancouver Former toll bridges in Canada 1958 disasters in Canada 1950s in Vancouver