Although the bridge opened to traffic in August 1975, Otto Lang, Minister of Transport, performed the official opening of the $23m crossing in May 1976. On hand were Premier Bill Bennett, Gil Blair, mayor of Richmond, Art Phillips, mayor of Vancouver, and widow Geraldine Laing, who unveiled a plaque. Connecting Grant McConachie Way with SW Marine Drive, the bridge is long and wide, with a main span standing above the river. The main span comprises haunched steel box-girders and the approaches are concrete box-girders. YVR owns and maintains this high-level four-lane crossing, that has no sidewalks, and cyclists ride on the shoulders of the roadway. Being federal property, signage is in both official languages. Claiming concerns over increased congestion on Granville St., the City of Vancouver opposed access ramps for Richmond traffic. However, since these commuters were already using the bridge by turning at Aviation Ave., the true impact of ramps would be to reduce travel distance by, and improve traffic flow on Sea Island. Tom Siddon, member for Burnaby—Richmond—Delta, pressed for the ramps, which opened in 1986. In 2006, YVR floated a proposal that the bridge be restricted to airport traffic, which provoked a hostile reaction from Richmond city councillors.
Further improvements
In 1987, about 45 percent of the deck was milled to about to remove salt-contaminated concrete. After patching, the surface received cathodic protection, before placing a thick low-slump dense concrete overlay. The exercise closed half the lanes for four months, and cost about $3m. In the mid-1990s, the bridge underwent seismic upgrades, which comprised deficient bearings, piers and foundations, and potential soil liquefaction. The work included 800 stone columns installed along either side of the bridge for ground improvement. Richmond, about metre above sea level, requires drainage and flood protection. To this end, Grauer Road was raised to 4.7m, which would handle a one-metre rise in sea level. At the road perimeter, the installation of a buried steel sheet pile wall will ensure the bridge piers remain flexible in a seismic event. The road base comprises pumice for light weight and drainage. The project was completed in 2014 for the opening of the McArthurGlen outlet mall. In 2008, Translink added a bus lane on Russ Baker Way, between Gilbert Road and Cessna Drive. To respond to 127 crashes each year on the bridge, camera monitoring was added and a tow truck stationed at the south end of the bridge during morning rush hour. In 2014, the adjustment of vehicle lane widths allowed bike-lane widening to improve safety for cyclists.
Gliding above
In May 1981, a Cessna 172, that ran out of fuel, crash landed on the bridge deck, but caused no injuries. Since completion of the north runway in 1996, primarily used for landings, signs have warned bridge traffic of low flying aircraft. The Middle Arm SkyTrain Bridge, which opened in 2009, passes over the Arthur Laing southern approach.
