Capilano Suspension Bridge
By Lauren Kramer
There’s something compelling about a beautiful bridge. It forces you to stop, look around at the view and acknowledge a great feat of engineering and architecture. Given the water that surrounds us, we Vancouverites cross bridges in the tens of thousands daily, by car, bike, bus and foot (and most of us are all too familiar with the traffic lineups as we wait to traverse). Still, those bridges represent history, exquisite architecture and showcase some magnificent scenery on good weather days, and even bad. Here’s our top six and how they came about.
By Sambisnaire (Own work) [CC BY-SA 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Burrard Bridge
Over the years an urban myth has circulated that there’s a hidden gallery or apartment in the ornamental bridge towers of the Burrard Bridge. In fact the main purpose of these decorative concrete towers is to conceal the steel support structures that hold the bridge in place.
The only Art Deco-style bridge in Vancouver, the Burrard Bridge was built 1932 to connect downtown Vancouver with Kitsilano. A six-lane, 836-metre-long suspension bridge, its design was masterminded by Architect George Lister Thornton Sharp, who used the distinctive towers and middle galleries to give the bridge a ceremonial gateway function. In the centre of the gallery he placed symbolic arms to represent the City of Vancouver, and flanked them with windows overlooking the bridge deck. “On the two piers which support the gallery are molded the prows of boats with figureheads to represent Captain George Vancouver and Captain Harry Burrard,” Sharp explained at the time. It was John Grant’s idea to insert torch-like pylons at both ends of the bridge’s span. The engineer for the project, he meant them to pay tribute to Canadian World War 1 prisoners of war, who would huddle around open fires in their prison camps.
Heritage Vancouver calls this one of the few Art Deco bridges in the world, and it’s been internationally recognized as a landmark historic structure. From the bridge deck you get great views of False Creek, downtown skyscrapers and the North Shore Mountains, and the bridge’s handrails were specifically designed so that vehicles driving 40-64 km/h could still appreciate that view.
By Cord Rodefeld from Ulm, Germany (Granville Bridge) [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Granville St Bridge
The Granville Street bridge came into being 22 years later, in 1954, with none of the grand ornamentation of the Burrard Bridge. Still, it announces your arrival into the downtown core, with the neon lights of the entertainment district foregrounded against the mountains. It also offers stunning views of the city, Granville Island some 27 metres below it, and False Creek. The 1,171-metre-long bridge forms part of the Sea to Sky Highway, also known as Highway 99. It cost $16.5 million to build it, all funded by the city. By contrast, the first Granville Street Bridge, built in 1889, cost a mere $16,000, funded by the Canadian Pacific Railroad.
Lions Gate Bridge
Lions Gate Bridge
Known as the jewel of Vancouver’s bridges, the Lions Gate Bridge was built in 1938 and named for the Lions, a pair of mountain peaks north of Vancouver. Also called the First Narrows Bridge, the 1,823-metre-long crossing traverses Burrard Inlet, connecting downtown Vancouver with North and West Van. Look out for the cast concrete lions that guard the south approach to the bridge, majestic sculptures created by Charles Marega and placed on the bridge in January 1939. Congestion is a common gripe among Vancouverites, as this bridge sees upward of 70,000 vehicles a day. It was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in March 2005 and offers one of the most spectacular views of the inlet, with the lush greenery of Stanley Park on one side and the urbanized skirts of the North Shore mountains on the other.
UBC Botanical Garden Canopy Walkway
UBC Greenheart Canopy Walkway
One of Vancouver’s hidden gems, the Greenheart Canopy Walkway is a series of eight metal pedestrian suspension bridges that crisscross the UBC Botanical Garden and elevate walkers 17.5 metres above the forest floor. Built without using a single nail or bolt, the bridges use a “variable tension system (patent-pending, called the “Treehugger”) to provide the least amount of infringement or impact on the trees.” The bridges are a tad wobbly as you walk on them, but not in a ‘help-I’m-going-to-fall-off’ kind-of way. Well secured with railings and nets on both sides so there’s no risk of falling, they can withstand up to 9,000 pounds and span 308 metres in total. The canopy walkway is a great place to appreciate the grandeur of old-growth trees and the beauty of Vancouver’s coast forest from a unique vantage point. A walk in the Botanical Gardens is free but there’s a charge to use the canopy walkway, which is open daily 10am-4pm. See botanicalgarden.ubc.ca for info.
Lynn Canyon Suspenstion Bridge
By Philippe Giabbanelli (Own work) [GFDL (http://www.gnu.org/copyleft/fdl.html) or CC BY 3.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge
This one’s in North Vancouver, but it’s a favourite among locals for the rainforest hikes it leads to, the gorgeous views of whitewater in the river 50 meters below and the fact that crossing it is free. Located in Lynn Canyon Park, the Lynn Canyon Suspension Bridge is a narrow pedestrian bridge that bounces and sways as you cross it. Part of the Baden-Powell Trail, a rugged hiking route in the North Shore, this suspension bridge was built as a private venture back in 1912 and once incurred a 10c fee from everyone who crossed it. The view from the middle is gorgeous, which is why most everyone stops for a photo op midway. This bridge is best unrushed. If you’re feeling weak-knee’d, clasp the metal railings on either side and don’t look down.
Capilano Suspension Bridge
Capilano Suspension Bridge
Vancouver’s top tourist attraction, the Capilano Suspension Bridge, also in North Vancouver, spans 450 feet across the Capilano River, some 230 feet below. The crossing was first built in 1889 using hemp ropes and cedar planks, but was reconstructed with wire cables in 1903. Today it’s one of three bridge adventures in the Capilano Suspension Bridge Park. In the Treetops Adventure, seven footbridges are suspended between old-growth Douglas Fir trees, giving walkers a bird’s-eye view of the forest floor from 30 metres above. The newest addition to the park is Cliffwalk, a series of narrow, cantilevered bridges, stairs and platforms that follow a granite precipice along the Capilano River and through the rainforest. The park experience gives visitors a sense of BCs natural and aboriginal history with an emphasis on education and an experiential journey through the temperate west coast rainforest ecosystem.
