Mission Bridge

The Mission Bridge is a steel girder bridge across the Fraser River, linking the District Of Mission to the City of Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada. The bridge is measured at 3,695 feet (1,126.2 m) long and is the only direct road link between the two communities.

History

Before the Mission Bridge was completed, the only link between the City of Abbotsford and the City of Mission was the CPR's Mission Railway Bridge which had wooden planks laid on the ties between the rails, and outside the rails, to allow the passage of automobile traffic. Due to floods in the 1940s and 1950s, the bridge and surrounding area were becoming inaccessible. This was causing damage to Mission's business centre because a large percentage of the revenue in Mission came from Abbotsford. In order to revitalize business, a more permanent, consistent solution was needed. The Mission Bridge project was put into action in May, 1969, with the dredging of the Fraser River's banks. In 2012, addition of an earthquake resistant device was placed into the bridge along with a project to repair the bridge and addition of cycling barriers, the project was completed in 2013.

Construction

The construction of the bridge was a large undertaking. The main construction occurred between May 1969 and 1972. It included 19 piers, a four-lane highway and pedestrian/bicycle routes adjacent to the main roadway. The total cost of the project was approximately $13,000,000 (CAD).

The Bridge was officially opened on July 11, 1973 by the Premier of British Columbia of the time, Dave Barrett.

Text imported from Wikipedia article "Mission Bridge" and modified on July 23, 2019 according to the CC-BY-SA 4.0 International license.