British Columbia Roads - Pattullo Bridge

Pattullo Bridge


All but the last photo are westbound on former BC 1A/99A. BC 1A used to come in from the east on Fraser Highway, meeting BC 99A on King George Blvd., and then running together across this 1937 bridge to downtown Vancouver wia Kingsway to the Dunsmuir Viaduct.


Why are these signs yelling at us? Why is everything so wide?


Here's what's coming up. The SkyBridge, for the SkyTrain light rail system, is a cable-stayed bridge just west of the Pattullo. (When did it become fashionable to delete spaces from words? 1989? Must be, based on the bridge's opening date.) Now that the old Port Mann Bridge on TCH 1 has been removed, the Pattullo is the last colourful double-arch truss bridge in Vancouver. Of course, there were only ever the two.


Finally, though we won't see much of it after this, there's a third bridge much lower to the Fraser River, and that's the 1904 New Westminster Bridge operated by CN. Yes, I'm enjoying the traffic. Made it 500 metres in barely 2 minutes.


Sidelong truss closeups.


With that, traffic is clearing (I think there was a breakdown in the right lane), so let's take a ride across the bridge together.


I spliced the overpass shorter so that both signs fit in one photo. On the left, we see two routes no longer commissioned, with BC 99A dead longer than BC 1A. That shield style is old enough to date this sign to when they were both alive. For the sign on the right, do you want regular Columbia or Columbia Royal? That would be Columbia Street and Royal Avenue, thanks for asking.


The EB approach of the Royal half of Columbia Royal. When did anyone use the word "traffic" on a guide sign? Isn't it implied that if you're following this sign, you are traffic? Was New Westminster worried that without the sign, the bridge might try to take this exit?

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