WATCH: After some delays, crews were back at work dismantling the old Johnson Street Bridge Wednesday. They are aiming to have a big part of it down before the end of the week and all day, it proved to be quite a spectacle. Calvin To has more.
Travelling through Victoria was tougher on Wednesday as the city closed the new Johnson Street Bridge on Wednesday while crews dismantled the old bridge.
The new bridge was closed from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. There was also another planned closure from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. after rush hour.
The Johnson Street Bridge is open to rush hour traffic until 6pm & then closed again from 6-9pm tonight. After being partially decommissioned today our Blue Bridge looks tired after 94 years of serving the community & is laying down for a well deserved rest pic.twitter.com/HDFuTZpgJe
— City of Victoria (@CityOfVictoria) April 18, 2018
There were significant traffic delays on the Bay Street Bridge. However, down at the Johnson Street Bridge site, many went down to see the Dynamic Beast lift “Old Blue.” The crane was bringing down the counterweight so crews could cut it off.
It was a careful procedure that had to wait until winds were calm. Heavy winds caused a work delay on Monday.
“I noticed both bridges were actually in the upright position, I thought, well that’s an interesting shot,” Jen Powley, a local photographer who was watching the work, said.
“It’s monumental, it’s a piece of Victoria’s history. It’s an era coming to a close for the old bridge and certainly an era for the new bridge.”
Powley has been documenting the bridge for decades.
“I have photos of when the railway bridge part was still there. I think I had got a couple at the train station and one of the train coming over.”
There’s still time for more pictures as the counterweight is filled with rivets and steelwork, which crews will have to jackhammer apart in May. Then the two ends of the bridge have to be dug out.
“I will miss it very much. Because it’s just unique to Victoria.”
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