Lions Gate Bridge

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Lions Gate Bridge
Viewed from North Vancouver in 2002
Coordinates	49°18′55″N 123°8′18″W / 49.31528°N 123.13833°W / 49.31528; -123.13833 (Lions Gate Bridge)
Carries	Three lanes of Hwy 1A / Hwy 99, pedestrians and bicycles
Crosses	Burrard Inlet
Locale	Vancouver West Vancouver
Official name	First Narrows Bridge
Owner	British Columbia Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure
Characteristics
Design	Suspension bridge
Total length	1,823 m (5,981 ft)
Height	111 m (364 ft)
Longest span	473 m (1,552 ft)
Load limit	13 tonnes (12.8 long tons; 14.3 short tons)
Clearance below	61 m (200 ft)
History
Designer	Charles Nicholas Monsarrat Philip Louis Pratley
Construction start	March 31, 1937
Opened	November 14, 1938
Statistics
Daily traffic	60,000–70,000
National Historic Site of Canada
Official name	Lions Gate Bridge National Historic Site of Canada
Designated	March 24, 2005
Reference no.	11711
Location

The Lions Gate Bridge, opened in 1938 and officially known as the First Narrows Bridge,^[1] is a suspension bridge that crosses the first narrows of Burrard Inlet and connects the City of Vancouver, British Columbia, to the North Shore municipalities of the District of North Vancouver, the City of North Vancouver, and West Vancouver. The term "Lions Gate" refers to the Lions, a pair of mountain peaks north of Vancouver. Northbound traffic on the bridge heads in their general direction. A pair of cast concrete lions, designed by sculptor Charles Marega, were placed on either side of the south approach to the bridge in January 1939.^[2]

The total length of the bridge including the north viaduct is 1,823 metres (5,981 ft). The length including approach spans is 1,517.3 metres (4,978 ft), the main span alone is 473 metres (1,552 ft), the tower height is 111 metres (364 ft), and it has a ship's clearance of 61 metres (200 ft). Prospect Point in Stanley Park offered a good high south end to the bridge, but the low flat delta land to the north required construction of the extensive North Viaduct.

The bridge has three lanes, with the middle being a reversible lane indicated by signals. The centre lane changes direction to accommodate for traffic patterns. The traffic volume on the bridge is 60,000–70,000 vehicles per day. Trucks exceeding 13 tonnes (12.8 long tons; 14.3 short tons) are prohibited, as are vehicles using studded tires. The bridge forms part of Highways 99 and 1A.

On March 24, 2005, the Lions Gate Bridge was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.^[3]