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Posted Nov 24, 2010, 7:47 PM
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working stiff
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Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Woodlawn Cemetery
Posts: 2,583
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Saskatoon | Future of the Traffic Bridge?
What is our goal? What are we striving for...
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Victoria Bridge closed to motor traffic
The bridge that made Saskatoon a city nearly 100 years ago is "done."
By The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) November 3, 2005 Be the first to post a comment
The bridge that made Saskatoon a city nearly 100 years ago is "done."
That was the announcement from city officials Wednesday as they went public with a startling report on the structural integrity of the historic Victoria Bridge.
"We are sad to announce that in the City of Bridges, our very first bridge ever built, the Traffic Bridge, has served its useful life and can no longer be open for vehicular traffic," city manager Phil Richards told reporters, using the old common name for the crossing that connects Victoria Avenue with 19th Street.
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Victoria Bridge to bask in lights
London Bridge has become an illuminating inspiration for city administrators planning to brighten up Saskatoon's oldest river span.
By The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon) January 18, 2007 Be the first to post a comment
London Bridge has become an illuminating inspiration for city administrators planning to brighten up Saskatoon's oldest river span.
The Saskatoon crossing doesn't have an official name yet, but it's popularly known as the Traffic Bridge, Iron Bridge, Victoria Bridge, Steel Bridge or 19th Street Bridge. It turns 100 this year. As part of the celebration, the bridge will get a makeover of modern lighting that will permanently radiate a spectrum of colours year-round.
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Saskatoon city council considering options for Victoria Bridge
Traffic bridge held together by original 1907 nuts, bolts, and beams
Reported By Chris Carr
Posted August 25, 2010 - 2:06pm
The future of Victoria Bridge, Saskatoon's oldest bridge, hangs in the balance after the traffic bridge was closed indefinitely on Tuesday after a preliminary inspection of the 103-year-old structure deemed the span unfit for public use.
The lower steel structures holding it together aren't as intact as necessary. Mayor Don Atchison says the bridge needed to be shut down before it collapsed under its own weight.
"Quite frankly, it's the same situation that they ran into Minneapolis where the bridge collapsed. In Quebec, they've had bridges collapse. And here in Saskatoon, thank goodness we've taken a proactive approach all the time and taking inspections of all our bridges on an annual basis," said Atchison.
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Saskatoon bridge collapse 'imminent': mayor
Last Updated: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 | 1:16 PM CST Comments83Recommend49
Saskatoon's oldest bridge has deteriorated to the point that it's about to collapse, Mayor Don Atchison says.
The Traffic Bridge, also known as the Victoria Bridge, was closed indefinitely on Tuesday because of safety concerns over corrosion. The concern is that the steel-truss structure over the South Saskatchewan River could collapse under its own weight.
"It's not a question of being able to fix it properly," Atchison told reporters on Wednesday. "The bridge is going to collapse. It's imminent that it is going to collapse. And so the question is, 'How can we best deal with the situation?'"
The 103-year-old structure that connects Victoria Avenue to 3rd Avenue South and Spadina Crescent is a crucial route for commuters heading home from the downtown.
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Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/saskatchewa...#ixzz16EJySilB
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Act to preserve heritage
By Adam Pollock, The StarPhoenix November 12, 2010
Although it is difficult during these "congested" times, I implore Saskatoon residents to remember that the Traffic Bridge issue is not about traffic.
It's about deciding if we will be a progressive city that appreciates the importance of its story and celebrates and showcases its heritage or if we will be a city that plows ahead, thinking only of the convenience of the present. If we are willing to sacrifice a century of stories and the very cradle of our city to solve a temporary traffic problem, we are in more trouble than I ever imagined.
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Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/preser...#ixzz16EKKp2hU
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Preserving city's history vital
By Gerry Klein, The StarPhoenix November 18, 2010
The first job I remember having was to crank the bellows in my grandfather's blacksmith shop.
It's hard to imagine a more magical place than a smithy for a four-year-old to be indentured. It was a dark world of smoke, grime and stacks of used steel, and filled with the smell of searing hot iron and the rhythmic sound of the hammer.
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Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Preser...#ixzz16EKdYgIl
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Planning professors urge city to save bridge
By davidhutton Wed, Nov 17 2010 COMMENTS(5) City Hall Notebook (Weblog)
Here is the full co-signed letter to council from the faculty of the University of Saskatchewan's regional and urban planning professors to council:
We are writing out of concern over the future of the Traffic Bridge, our city’s founding bridge, and want to share with you some considerations we feel are important. Between the four of us, we teach, conduct research, provide applied consultancy and have prior work experience in the areas of urban planning and design, land planning and development, transportation planning, and planning processes and techniques. We hope you find the following considerations constructive as you debate and decide upon the future of the Traffic Bridge. Ryan Walker wishes to speak on our behalf at the next meeting of City Council.
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North American bridge heritage advocate weighs in on Traffic Bridge
By davidhutton Thu, Nov 18 2010 COMMENTS(5) City Hall Notebook
Filed under: Traffic Bridge
Further to toda'ys story, here's the letter to council from Nathan Holth, a well-known U.S. heritage advocate who runs a bridge preservation website:
I am the author and webmaster of www.historicbridges.org, a website that covers bridges with heritage value in North America, and have been following the Traffic Bridge in the news very closely. In summary, I urge city council to either delay a decision on what the fate of the Traffic Bridge should be until additional research can be completed, or choose a solution which preserves the existing Traffic Bridge which is one of the most important heritage structures in Saskatoon and is also one of the most important heritage bridges in Saskatchewan. I have several concerns outlined below regarding the progression of the project thus far.
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New bridge No. 1 pick
City recommends steel truss structure over other proposals
By David Hutton, The StarPhoenix November 18, 2010 Comments (8)
Saskatoon's Traffic Bridge
Photograph by: Greg Pender, The StarPhoenix
A city report recommends tearing down the Traffic Bridge and replacing it with a modern steel truss structure.
The highly anticipated report, released Wednesday and set for debate Monday by council, says the bridge should be replaced with a similar-styled steel truss bridge with wider lanes, at a cost between $27 million and $34 million.
A modern replacement "balances the needs of the community while reducing engineering and financial risks," the city report says.
The new bridge, including three-metre-wide bike and pedestrian walkways on either side and wider traffic lanes, would be close to double the width of the current bridge, at roughly 13.5 metres. The width would allow emergency vehicles and buses to cross, and reduce the chance of sideswipe collisions, the report says.
"One hundred years from now the new bridge will be the historic bridge," Mayor Don Atchison said in an interview.
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Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/bridge...#ixzz16EKpZe5U
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Heritage group urges city to save Saskatoon's Traffic Bridge
The StarPhoenix November 19, 2010 Comments (19)
Saskatoon Heritage Society members are urging the city to save the 103-year-old Traffic Bridge
Photograph by: Greg Pender, The StarPhoenix
Saskatoon Heritage Society members are gearing up for a fight to save the Traffic Bridge.
“This weekend, we’re going to be saying, ‘Let’s get as many people out to city council on Monday,’ at least so that people get the information directly from the debate,” said chair Lenore Swystun at a press conference held Friday at the Traffic Bridge.
Society members will also be at Co-Op stores and other public areas, including the Farmers’ Market on Saturday, handing out information and urging people to attend Monday’s meeting where Saskatoon city councillors will decide the future of the Traffic Bridge.
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Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/Herita...#ixzz16ELFD55e
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Heritage tag sought for bridge
Committee asks council to save bridge
By Lana Haight, with files by David Hutton, The StarPhoenix November 20, 2010 Comments (7)
The committee that advises Saskatoon city council on heritage issues needed more than an hour of debate to decide the Traffic Bridge should be designated as a heritage structure.
"I would be disappointed if we don't say our advice is to keep the bridge and do whatever we need to to restore it," said Terry Scaddan, a member of Saskatoon's municipal heritage advisory committee and the executive director of the Partnership.
The committee held a special meeting that lasted 11/2 hours on Friday to determine its recommendation to city council, which will decide the future of the 103-year-old bridge at its meeting on Monday. A city report, which also goes to council on Monday, recommends tearing down the Traffic Bridge and replacing it with a modern similar-styled steel truss structure with wider lanes, at a cost of between $27 million and $34 million.
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Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/H...#ixzz16ELXK3M6
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Time runs out on council meeting, Traffic Bridge future to be decided at next meeting
By David Hutton, The StarPhoenix November 23, 2010 Comments (1)
The Traffic Bridge received a stay of execution Monday night after the clock ran out before debate could begin and a long list of speakers could be heard.
After months of public uproar and input on the future of 103-year-old steel bridge, a decision wasn’t made at city council on Monday night after debate ran up against an 11 p.m. deadline after a report on taxi industry regulation went more than 2-1⁄2 hours.
Councillors voted against continuing past the deadline, which needs unanimous approval.
The decision on the fate of the bridge will be picked up at the next council meeting in two weeks time.
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Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/T...#ixzz16ELjakmi
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Some photos from the Save/REHABILITATE the Saskatoon Traffic Bridge facebook page.
Last edited by Ruckus; Nov 24, 2010 at 9:14 PM.
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