Seven years ago, Victoria said goodbye to its beloved “Blue Bridge” and welcomed a sleek, modern successor. On March 31, 2018, the new Johnson Street Bridge officially opened, bringing an end to nearly a century of service for the old one.
But the Blue Bridge most people remember wasn’t the first—or even the second—bridge at that spot. In fact before the new bridge was built, three other bridges had already spanned the Gorge Waterway, each reflecting upon the needs of the community, and the technology available at the time. Let's take a look in the rearview mirror at the historical trials and tribulations that each bridge encountered, all while trying to move people and supplies across the Gorge Waterway.
The "Victoria Bridge" crossing the Gorge Waterway to the Songhees Territories
The Gorge Waterway’s first bridge, completed in 1855, and simply called the “Victoria Bridge” was only used for horse-drawn wagons. Unfortunately, since most ships sailing into the Inner Harbour had masts taller than the bridge, they couldn’t pass under it. As this was a problem, just seven years later the bridge was deemed obsolete, dismantled, and replaced with a ferry. You heard that right -Victoria’s “solution” to their bridge problem was to remove the bridge entirely.
Victoria's Inner Harbour in 1888, with the E & N swing bridge in the background
As part of the newly constructed E&N Railway linking Victoria to Nanaimo, in 1888 the Esquimalt & Nanaimo Railway Co. built a swing bridge that swung sideways to allow ships to pass by, then back again to resume ground transport to cross the Gorge. Crossing this new bridge was limited to trains, and only trains - sort of. People were also allowed to walk across, but did so at their own risk. Despite this important advancement for the railway, the E&N Bridge lasted only 35 years before the city decided it needed a more versatile design.
The third of our four bridges - the affectionately named "Blue Bridge"
In 1924 Victoria hired American engineer Joseph Strauss (who later became famous for designing the Golden Gate Bridge) to create a modern bascule (counterweight) bridge. Fun fact: The construction required 10,000 cubic yards of concrete—enough to fill 54 double-decker buses—to create the two counterweights required to raise and lower the bridge.
By the late 1970’s however, the bridge was looking a little tired; the old girl was looking a bit ragged as rust spots were appearing all over her. To save money, the city decided to spruce it up by painting it with the same blue paint used on all of Victoria’s lampposts; and once the job was completed, its endearing new moniker was born. Alongside The Parliament and The Empress, “The Blue Bridge” became one of the most beloved and recognizable features of the Inner Harbour.
However by 2012, The Blue Bridge was in desperate need of replacement. With growing traffic patterns* and a now-defunct railway track wasting space, a more modern design was proposed. Construction began a few years later; and in 2018 the new cream-coloured hydraulic bridge-complete with pedestrian and bicycle lanes- opened to mixed reviews...
The new bridge which raises & lowers in four minutes flat... but isn't blue (at least not during the day)!
It seemed many residents voiced displeasure that the new bridge wasn’t the same shade of blue that had become part of Victoria’s visual identity. Six years of planning, three designs to choose from, a raise-lower time of four minutes (versus twenty minutes with the old bridge), and $105,000,000 spent, and this was what upset people? Seriously?
But the city was prepared; in a nod to its predecessor, when dusk fell that evening, the new bridge lit up with beautiful neon blue LED lighting, and has each night ever since, becoming a beacon for the entire harbour to enjoy…
And it looks AMAZING.
Why not join us on one of our HIDDEN VICTORIA walking tours and see the bridge up close? Better yet, join one of our popular Bites & Sites tours and ride a Harbour Taxi under the bridge whilst heading from the Empress to Chinatown. For more information, CLICK HERE.
*On average each day, over 30,000 people cross the Johnson Street Bridge either on buses, bicycles, on foot, or in cars and trucks.