| Maryland Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Crosses | Assiniboine River |
| Locale | Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada |
| Maintained by | City of Winnipeg |
| Number of spans | 5 |
The Maryland Bridge (first bridge variant: Boundary Bridge; third bridge variant: Maryland Twin Bridge) is a crossing over the Assiniboine River in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. Serving as a major transportation link for metropolitan Winnipeg along Highway 70, three bridges have born the same name. Nearby landmarks include Misericordia Health Centre, Cornish Library and Shaare Zedek Synagogue.
The first bridge, of steel truss,[1] was constructed in 1894. It was nicknamed the Boundary Bridge, because Maryland Street once served as Winnipeg's western boundary.[2]
After a Census of Traffic was conducted on the original bridge because of increased traffic and safety concerns, construction began on the second Maryland Bridge in 1920,[2] and was completed in 1921. It was a concrete arch structure that included a colored aggregate of red granite, crushed to pass through a .75 inches (19 mm) screen, exposed by scrubbing with steel brushes, and cleaned by several washings of muriatic acid and water.[3]
Winnipeg's only major bridge disaster occurred in 1937 when the 330-ton bridge counter weight fell on the deck of the second bridge.[4] A corner post shaped as a cairn has been preserved from the second Maryland Bridge and is displayed by the current bridge.[1] The bridge was closed for demolition upon the opening of the Twin Bridge's western span.
The current bridge, sometimes referred to as the Maryland Twin Bridge, consists of I-shaped AASHTO girders;[5] and twin, five-span continuous precast prestressed concrete structures.[6] It was opened to traffic in two stages: the west structure on 8 November 1969, and the east structure on 5 August 1970. Constructed by the Metropolitan Corporation of Greater Winnipeg, it was financed by the provincial government.[1] Renovations to the northbound span occurred in 2005 while those to the southbound span occurred the following year.[2]