Queensborough Bridge is a highway bridge in
New Westminster
New Westminster (colloquially known as New West) is a city in the Lower Mainland region of British Columbia, Canada, and a member municipality of the Metro Vancouver Regional District. It was founded by Major-General Richard Moody as the cap ...
,
British Columbia
British Columbia is the westernmost Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. Situated in the Pacific Northwest between the Pacific Ocean and the Rocky Mountains, the province has a diverse geography, with rugged landscapes that ...
. It was built in 1960 by John Laing and Son (Canada) for the City of New Westminster and cost
$4 million (equivalent to $37.5 million in 2022). The bridge spans the north arm of the
Fraser River
The Fraser River () is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Blackrock Mountain (Canada), Blackrock Mountain in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia just south of the City of V ...
for road access from the main part of New Westminster to the suburb of
Queensborough at the east end of
Lulu Island
Lulu Island is the name of the largest island in the estuary of the Fraser River, located south of Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, and the List of Canadian islands by population, second-most populous island in British Columbia, after Vancou ...
, giving the bridge its name.
It has since become a part of
Highway 91A feeder to
Highway 91 to the south. The Queensborough was a
toll bridge
A toll bridge is a bridge where a monetary charge (or '' toll'') is required to pass over. Generally the private or public owner, builder and maintainer of the bridge uses the toll to recoup their investment, in much the same way as a toll road ...
costing 25 cents to cross until the bridge was bought by the provincial government in November 1966. The last person to pay the toll was then Premier
W. A. C. Bennett
William Andrew Cecil Bennett (September 6, 1900 – February 23, 1979) was a Canadian politician who served as the 25th premier of British Columbia from 1952 to 1972. With just over 20 years in office, Bennett remains the longest-serving premier ...
, who paid 25 cents at 12:01 AM on Sunday, November 19, 1966.
Six spans of the bridge were demolished and replaced in 1984 and 1985 to allow for a curve alignment on its southern approach to
Queensborough Connector. In 2003, some adjustments were made to the approach from the New Westminster side. Later in 2009, the interchange with Marine Way and Stewardson Way saw improving, including the trumpet loop being flipped to its current rotation.
See also
*
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 ...
*
List of crossings of the Fraser River
This is a list of bridges, tunnels, and other crossings of the Fraser River in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It includes both functional crossings and historic crossings which no longer exist, and lists them in sequence from the South ...
References
Bridges of Greater Vancouver*
Bridges in Greater Vancouver
Bridges completed in 1960
Bridges over the Fraser River
Buildings and structures in New Westminster
Transport in New Westminster
Road bridges in British Columbia
Former toll bridges in Canada
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