Yule Heibel's Library tagged johnson_street_bridge →  View Popular, Search in Google

Self-explanatory. Brilliant photos.

victoria johnson_street_bridge photography flickr flickriver

Washington State Department of Transportation page about the benefits of roundabouts. Thinking about this with regard to the so-called "octopus" of roads in downtown Victoria, just before traffic gets on to the Johnson Street Bridge. A roundabout might be the better solution...?
QUOTE
Contrary to many peoples' perceptions, roundabouts actually move traffic through an intersection more quickly, and with less congestion on approaching roads. Roundabouts promote a continuous flow of traffic. Unlike intersections with traffic signals, drivers don’t have to wait for a green light at a roundabout to get through the intersection. Traffic is not required to stop – only yield – so the intersection can handle more traffic in the same amount of time.
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Also consider space constraints: roundabouts need less space:
QUOTE
A roundabout may need more property within the actual intersection, but often take up less space on the streets approaching the roundabout. Because roundabouts can handle greater volumes of traffic more efficiently than signals, where drivers may need to line up to wait for a green light, roundabouts usually require fewer lanes approaching the intersection.
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johnson_street_bridge victoria roundabouts wsdot

gorgeous shot.

flickr johnson_street_bridge

Surprised to see that Victoria's Johnson Street Bridge made it into the "Journal of Commerce - Western Canada's Construction Newspaper" (Jan.25/10) ...for its heritage value (not its potential as a mega-replacement construction project)! Right on. (Would love to know the story behind JSB's entry into the the Journal of Commerce...)

From the article:

QUOTE
"The main opening span is 148 feet in length and when in the open position is balanced over a 45-foot fixed span. The Strauss Bascule Company Ltd. prepared the design for the bascule spans and the operating machinery.

The superstructure of the bridge was fabricated in Walkerville, Ontario and contains 100 tons of steel. "

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johnson_street_bridge victoria journal_of_commerce heritage preservation

A rather amusing look at history according to Victoria's mainstream media (in this case by Times-Colonist reporter Bill Cleverley). Wow, this is quite the ellipsis...

If there's one thing I'm learning from the whole Johnson Street Bridge issue and process is that one apparently can't trust our media to get the stories right.

johnson_street_bridge media newspapers times_colonist bill_cleverley

QUOTE
Why demolish one of the Bay Area's most recognizable structures rather than retain at least some of it for public use? "There's no reason it can't be transformed into something wondrous, a fusion of nature and the machine," said Frederic Schwartz, a New York architect who spent last fall as the college's Joseph Esherick Visiting Professor in Architecture.
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Inspired by NYC's High Line, Frederic Schwartz's students re-purposed the Bay Bridge (slated for demolition).

bridges johnson_street_bridge bay_bridge san_francisco restoration

Added a comment to Monday Magazine's article on Victoria's Johnson Street Bridge debacle.

johnson_street_bridge victoria blue_bridge infrastructure municipal_funding municipal_politics comments