Lions Gate Bridge, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, ca 1970s
Today’s postcard is another one shared by Bob who found several unused cards in a scrapbook recently. This card is also a Majestic Postcard with a photograph by Rolly Ford of the Lions Gate Bridge at Dusk. There is a blurb at the lower left corner on the reverse: “KM-6 … This is the largest suspension bridge in the British Empire. It is 4,977 feet long; the suspended section is 2,778 feet long. The height of the towers is 380 feet. The bridge connects Vancouver proper with the Municipality of West Vancouver and the City of North Vancouver over the entrance of Burrad Inlet. The North Shore Mountains form the background for this spectacular night view.” The card was printed in Canada by Lawson Grphics Pacific Limited, Vancouver, British Columbia and published by Natural Color Productions Ltd., Richmond, B.C.
Lions Gate Bridge opened in 1938 and was once known as First Narrows Bridge. The bridge is the namesake of the locally founded company Lionsgate Films. The bridge has three lanes with the middle lane reversible. The reversible lane has signals and changes direction to accommodate traffic patterns. The volume of traffic averages between 60,000 and 70,000 vehicles a day. Trucks over 13 tons and vehicles with studded tires are prohibited. In 2005 Lions Gate Bridge was designated a National Historic Site of Canada.
Decorative lights that make the bridge a distinctive nighttime landmark were gifted to the city of Vancouver by the Guinness family in 1986. There have been improvements and necessary updates over the years to the bridge to replace deteriorating concrete and improve the suspended structure of the original bridge. In 2009 the lighting system was updated with new LED lights.
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