Centre Street Bridge (Calgary) facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Centre Street Bridge |
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Centre Street Bridge seen from Crescent Heights
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| Coordinates | 51°03′10″N 114°03′45″W / 51.05291°N 114.06255°W |
| Carries | 4 lanes of Centre Street |
| Crosses | Bow River, Memorial Drive |
| Locale | [[File:|22x20px|border |alt=|link=]] Calgary |
| Maintained by | City of Calgary |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Arch superstructure |
| Material | Reinforced concrete |
| Total length | 178 meters (584 ft) |
| Width | 15 meters (49 ft) |
| Piers in water | 2 |
| History | |
| Designer | John F. Green |
| Construction end | 1916 |
| Opened | 18 December 1916 |
The Centre Street Bridge is a famous bridge in Calgary, Alberta. It crosses the Bow River right in the middle of Centre Street. This bridge is special because it has two levels, or decks.
The lower deck connects Riverfront Avenue in Chinatown to Memorial Drive. The upper deck goes over Memorial Drive and reaches into the community of Crescent Heights. This bridge is also important because it's the central point for how Calgary's city map is divided into four sections.
Contents
Building the Centre Street Bridge
The City of Calgary built the Centre Street Bridge in 1916. It cost about $375,000. This new bridge replaced an older one called the MacArthur Bridge. That bridge was made of steel and was washed away by a big flood in 1915.
John F. Green designed the Centre Street Bridge. He gave it two decks, an upper and a lower one. The upper deck also has cool balconies that stick out over the sides.
The Famous Lions
One of the most interesting parts of the bridge are the four large concrete lions. They sit on top of two fancy concrete buildings at each end of the bridge. A Scottish builder named James L. Thomson made these lions. He copied them from the famous bronze lions found at the base of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square, London.
The buildings on the bridge also have special decorations. You can see symbols of Canada and the United Kingdom. These include buffalo heads, maple leaves, shamrocks (for Ireland), roses (for England), and thistles (for Scotland).
Bridge Size and Structure
The upper deck of the bridge is made of strong reinforced concrete. It is about 178 meters (584 feet) long and 15 meters (49 feet) wide. The lower deck is about 150 meters (492 feet) long and 5.5 meters (18 feet) wide.
In 1992, the Centre Street Bridge was officially named a Municipal Historic Resource for Calgary. This means it's an important part of the city's history.
Restoration Work
The bridge had a big restoration project in 2001. It was closed for a whole year to fix it up. During this time, the original concrete lions were replaced with new copies. There was a lot of discussion about this!
There's a fun local story from nearby Chinatown. People used to say that the lions would come alive at night and walk around the city! Today, one of the original lions is at City Hall. The other three are stored away safely. In 2013, a city group decided to place the remaining lions at new C-Train (tram) stations in the future.
Interesting Facts
Low Clearance on the Lower Deck
The lower deck of the bridge is quite low, only about 2.7 meters (9 feet) high. Because of this, some drivers don't notice the height limit. Trucks, RVs, and vans sometimes get stuck under the bridge. This can block traffic for a while.
To help with this, a warning system was put in place in 2010. It warns drivers if their vehicle is too tall. This has cut down on the number of vehicles getting stuck by half. But still, about 20 vehicles get stuck each year.
Movie Filming Location
The Centre Street Bridge has even been in a movie! The first scene of the 2001 Steven Seagal movie Exit Wounds was filmed right on this bridge.
Gallery
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Centre Street Bridge and Downtown Calgary at night
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Centre Street Bridge with frozen Bow River
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A close-up of one of the bridge's lion statues
