The Point Ellice Bridge , also known as the Bay Street Bridge is a major road-crossing of the Victoria Harbour in Victoria, British Columbia .
10-694: Used mainly by motorists, it connects the downtown Rock Bay neighbourhood with Victoria West . It is one of few crossings toward Esquimalt , the others being the Johnson Street Bridge , the Craigflower Bridge , the Gorge Bridge , and the pedestrian Selkirk Trestle . In 1896 it was the site of the Point Ellice Bridge disaster , when the unmaintained bridge collapsed, killing 55 people. The current structure
20-401: A bridge crossed the eastern section of Rock Bay, linking Government Street to the northern extension. During the mid-to-late 19th century, Fernwood contained a swampy marshland , and Hillside Farms existed between Bay Street and Hillside Avenue. Until c. 1888, a creek visibly connected all these areas to discharge into Rock Bay of Victoria Upper Harbour. An unnamed creek once ran southwest from
30-536: A specific bridge in Canada is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Rock Bay, Victoria Rock Bay is a neighbourhood bordering downtown Victoria, British Columbia , Canada , whose borders are the Upper Harbour on the west, Bay Street on the north, Dowler Street on the east, and Chatham Street on the south. Rock Bay derives its name from the local bay of the same name. The neighbourhood
40-550: Is a mix of commercial, retail, industrial parks , and some residential. The neighbourhood includes a Dairy Queen, gas stations, car lots, the Vancouver Island Brewery, Club Phoenix fitness centre, a book publisher, and a massage school. It is in the ivy-covered former BC Hydro building on Bay and Government. Located southeast of the Bay Street Bridge, Rock Bay was encroached upon by the growth of
50-492: The federal government . Decades of runoff and pollution dumping from nearby gravel operations and former mills have led to current pollution levels. With the recent trend in urban living movements (more people moving into the downtown core), as is the case in many cities, Rock Bay is one of the few areas remaining in Victoria that lends itself to high development potential. Rock Bay is also the present site of Rock Bay Landing,
60-486: The downtown core in the mid-1800s. Historically, the bay was larger, with many islets for which it was named. The islets were engulfed within an encompassing shoreline, extending far enough eastward to present-day Government Street . Currently located in the corner of the Inner Harbour, it is surrounded by industrial activities; with polluted water. Around 1885, the urban areas of Victoria continued to expand, and
70-416: The late 1950s, resulting in the smaller Rock Bay area. Historical activities along the shores of Rock Bay included a tannery , sawmills , a coal gasification plant , a propane tank farm , and more recently, a concrete batch plant and an asphalt plant . Rock Bay, which is purported to be one of the most highly contaminated bodies of water in the province, is (as of 2006) undergoing extensive cleanup by
80-473: The north and south shores of Rock Bay. The Rock Bay Bridge originally connected Bridge Street and Constance Street. Around 1903, the approach to Rock Bay Bridge was switched along the southern shore to Store Street. During the 1920s, the Rock Bay bridge was dismantled while the eastern indent of Rock Bay was simultaneously filled to the west side of Government Street. Progressive shoreline changes continued until
90-470: The swampy marshlands in Fernwood, under a bridge on Cedar Hill Road and past Hillside Farm. The creek meandered in the area of Kings Road to eventually provide a source of fresh water for Rock Bay. Around 1888, the creek was enclosed in pipes to provide direct drainage to the area and prevent floods in the expanding paved streets of Victoria. In 1887, a second wooden bridge known as Rock Bay Bridge connected
100-402: Was built in 1956–57 and was subject to major upgrades in 2001–02 and 2019, during which it was closed to traffic for 5 months. Plans to widen the bridge to better accommodate cyclists were originally developed in 2001, at an estimated price of $ 15,250,000. 48°26′03″N 123°22′43″W / 48.4343°N 123.3786°W / 48.4343; -123.3786 This article about
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