A bridge to the North Shore was talked about as early as 1890. However, financial and political reasons prevented its building until after World War I. The first bridge, the original Second Narrows Bridge was completed in 1925.

The North Shore had been growing and the ferries were encumbered by motorcars. The Second Narrows Bridge, provided access for cars and a year later, in 1926, trains started using it too. A bascule portion allowed ships to go through. The bascule had been installed at the south end of the bridge in a shallow water area, to avoid building expensive towers and a lift span. This decision proved to be a serious error. Many shipping men had protested the design, claiming it would make navigation dangerous, and they were soon proved correct.

 
September 13, 1930. The Pacific Gatherer

1934: The newly repaired Second Narrows bridge
sports a centre lift span.
© 1934, Vancouver Public Library. 

 
 The old Second Narrows bridge in its current form,
as a rail bridge exclusively. 
© 1998, CLIC Information Publishing Group. 
 

Since it had been put up in 1925, the Second Narrows Bridge had been hit countless times by ships. Each time it was hit the bridge was out action until repaired.

A 10,000 ton freighter, the Eurana hit it on March 10, 1927 causing almost $80,000 worth of damage.

In 1928 the bridge was hit by the Norwich City.

In 1930 the Losmar hit the south span. 

Finally, in September of the same year, a former sailing vessel turned log barge and called the Pacific Gatherer, got wedged under the bridge’s fixed centre span when it was carried away by a fast moving eddy. As the tide rose, the span was ripped away. It hung from the rest of the bridge for a while, then suddenly broke free and sank into the depths of Burrard Inlet. 

The bridge link to the North Shore was severed for four years as lawsuits and the bankruptcy of the Bridge company delayed any attempt at repairs. Finally, the Second Narrows Bridge was sold to the Provincial Government in 1933. Repairs were immediately undertaken and a centre lift span was added. The bridge re-opened to traffic in 1934.

Begun in November 1957, and built alongside the older bridge, the current Second Narrows Bridge, was intended to replace the narrow roadway of the rail and car bridge. The bridge would carry six lanes of traffic. Construction was marred by four separate incidents costing the lives of twenty-five men. The worst occurred on June 17th, 1958, when a large section of the bridge span collapsed into the inlet. Eighteen workers died. Some of them drowned because of the belts that had attached them to the bridge in case they fell. 

The opening of the new bridge finally took place on August 25, 1960. Plaques were put up at both end of the bridge to commemorate the workers who lost their lives during the construction. 
 
 

The Second Narrows Bridge is the main link to Vancouver for the North Shore. Wider and, unlike the Lions Gate Bridge,  able to handle heavy truck traffic, it receives most of the volume.

In the 1990's the bridge was re-named “The Ironworkers Memorial Bridge”, as a tribute to the workers who lost their life during its collapse while it was being built.

Still, most people refer to it simply as the:

"Second Narrows". 



( A recent seismic upgrading and re-decking has been done.)