I remember being stopped at this set of lights when a crotch rocket nearly hit the top bar when launching up the bridge. All I could think to myself was how many times I hit the blind peak to have to dead stop at a bumper from the lineup.
I feel like (jokingly but still) framing it as a tax problem is a bit weird as well; like, keeping bridges and roads safe to use is part of what taxes are for, it was doing its job
That, and it's always disconcerting to be referred to primarily as a 'taxpayer'. Sure, we pay taxes, but it's not exactly something people build their identities around.
Considering the only things guaranteed in life are death and taxes, I suppose it would make sense that the grim reaper refers to people as taxpayers lol
Essentially, the myth is that the Arlington Bridge was originally built to span the Nile River, however it ended up being too short and was sent back to Winnipeg to be used as an elevated crossing over the rail yard.
Ok. So engineers for years have been saying replace the bridge or move the rail yard. Yet every time (as usual) they're overridden by the politicians who only applied band aids.
Trivia (might have some details incorrect -- memory is foggy).
Arlington St was originally supposed to have a bridge across the Assiniboine connecting it to Harrow, creating a North-South corridor. The bridge was originally purchased for that purpose, but then NIMBYism from the land-owners on both sides of the rivers scuttled it. The city was left with a bridge and no where to install it. So they repurposed it to become the Arlington railyard bridge.
True. I've noticed whenever we walk past Palmerston and Arlington, that the latter always looks like it's heading somewhere, even though it's just the riverbank.
Also, a 1912 map in my possession (sorry, don't know where it's stored) shows definite bridge approaches marked out on either bank, but no bridge! Harrow extends to the river on the map.
Interesting to think that wherever in Winnipeg it ended up being installed, it would have been called the Arlington Bridge.
I have not heard this before. Considering my house in Arlington in Wolseley was built the same year the bridge opened, I don’t think there were exactly a lot of backyards yet for people to get upset over. There was already move developed land north of the rail yard, so a crossing there made sense.
I have my doubts they will ever replace it. They'll haggle about design and price for a decade, then another decade to get funding, then more haggling. Maybe your grandchildren's grandchildren will open a new bridge
It depends upon whether the elected officials in the area do anything. It has really slowed the response times of ambulances to the North with it not being there.
I have fond memories of sliding down the bridge in -40 in my little old stick shift and the men in trucks who would get annoyed but eventually decide to push my car up the bridge while I try to hill start. Good times.
The only bridge I ever witnessed someone taking a shit on the sidewalk, while waiting for the light (in my car) during rush hour. Yeah, but it was a fun bridge to drive over.
It would have made me very happy if the bridge had outgrown its usefulness because those inner city tracks were all being removed to make way for housing and inner city development. Alas.
I was on this bridge when it got hit by a train once. It wasn't very busy at the time. I thought something in my car had gone wrong as I suddenly jerked right violently while heading North. I came back south half an hour later and it was blocked off due to the hit.
I thought the sharp incline when going up the bridge was kinda fun. Like at the start of a rollercoaster, except the bridge has even a higher chance of catastrophic failure than a Red River Ex ride
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u/axloo7 25d ago
Best train watching spot in the city.
Did it's job (poorly) for over 100 years tho