Burlington Canal Lift Bridge

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Burlington Canal Lift Bridge
Burlington Canal Lift Bridge.JPG
View of Burlington Canal Lift Bridge
Coordinates 43°17′57″N79°47′43″W / 43.299105°N 79.795317°W / 43.299105; -79.795317
Carries4 lanes of Eastport Drive
Crosses Hamilton Harbour
Locale Hamilton, Ontario and Burlington, Ontario
Maintained byPublic Works Canada
Characteristics
Designsteel
Total length116 metres (381 ft)
Clearance above 5 metres (16 ft) - when lowered
36.5 metres (120 ft) - when lifted to maximum height
History
Opened1962
Location
Burlington Canal Lift Bridge

Burlington Canal Lift Bridge is a vertical lift bridge located to the north side of the Burlington Bay James N. Allan Skyway in Burlington, Ontario.

Contents

Built in 1962, the 116-metre-long (381 ft) bridge is the sixth bridge to span the Burlington Canal since 1830. [1] The bridge allows vessels to enter and exit from Hamilton Harbour into Lake Ontario. The bridge does not lift during the winter months (January to late March).

The bridge carries Eastport Drive across the canal with two lanes for traffic in each direction, as well as a single pedestrian walkway on the west side. Traffic light and signalized gates are found on both ends of the bridge. The road surface on the bridge is not paved, but rather metal grating.

In 1896 Hamilton Radial Electric Railway cars crossed the 1877 bridge. Before 1982 it also carried rail traffic along a CN Rail (Hamilton and North-Western Railway) route but the section of the line was removed and the bridge converted to a vehicular bridge.

North tower of the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge North tower of the Burlington Lift Bridge.jpg
North tower of the Burlington Canal Lift Bridge

The bridge is maintained and owned by Public Works Canada.

Earlier Bridges

1901 swing bridge The bob-tailed swing bridge with a car of the Hamilton Radial Electric Ry. crossing to Burlington.jpg
1901 swing bridge

Several bridges were built from 1826 to 1952 to accommodate railway, radial and vehicular traffic: [2]

The last three bridges were demolished following the completion of the current bridge in 1962. [2]

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References

  1. Government of Canada, Public Services and Procurement Canada (30 September 2006). "Burlington Canal Lift Bridge - Ontario Region - PSPC". www.tpsgc-pwgsc.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 29 June 2018. Retrieved 4 April 2019.
  2. 1 2 "The Burlington Canal Bridges - Page 2". Archived from the original on 2017-12-30. Retrieved 2019-06-18.

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