Johnson Street Bridge

Infobox Bridge
bridge_name=Johnson Street Bridge

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locale=Victoria, British Columbia
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design=Bascule
mainspan=148 ft (45 m)
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lat=48.428061
long=-123.371594The Johnson Street Bridge is a bascule bridge that spans the harbor of Victoria, British Columbia. It is nicknamed "Big Blue" because of its distinctive blue color.

It was designed by the Strauss Bascule Company and built by the City of Victoria Engineering Department. The bridge was completed in January 1924 at a cost of C$918,000. The original wood deck was replaced by a steel grid in 1966 and the steel structure was repainted in 1979 as part of an extensive renovation.

The bridge has two nearly identical structures, the railroad and the highway, that operate independently. The main span is m to ft|45|spell=UK|abbr=on in length and weighs 350 tons. The approaches are fixed girders, the east is m to ft|34|spell=UK|abbr=on and the west is m to ft|22|spell=UK|abbr=on. The counterweights are made of hollow concrete and total 780 tons. Daily traffic is 30,000 vehicles.

External links

* [http://www.city.victoria.bc.ca/cityhall/departments_engstreetsjohnsonhistory.shtml City of Victoria: Johnson Street Bridge]
* [http://virtualguidebooks.com/BC/VictoriaIslandsBC/VictoriaInnerHarbor/GorgeBridgeSeaplane.html Panoramic view]