Happy birthday to you, happy birthday to you, happy birthday dear Golden Ears Bridge, happy birthday to you!

On June 16, 2009 the Golden Ears Bridge and 14-kilometre road network opened to traffic, making today it’s fifth birthday! At the time, it was one of the most significant improvements to the Metro Vancouver road network since the opening of the Alex Fraser Bridge. It was also the first electronic toll system in Western Canada.

In honour of the fifth anniversary, we wanted to share some interesting facts that you may not know and show you some ‘baby’ pictures of the bridge.

What’s with the eagles? 

The eagle was chosen as a symbol for the bridge and it is displayed on project signs, on the bridge towers, in concrete etchings on some ramps and at the project gateways in Surrey and Pitt Meadows.

Why was the eagle chosen as the symbol, you ask? The Golden Ears is the name of the summit north of the Golden Ears Bridge. The peaks look down on the bridge, and their original name was allegedly “Golden Aeries”, referring to nests of Golden Eagles that live on Canada’s Pacific coast.

Bridge trivia

Here’s a look at the different parts that make up the Golden Ears Bridge, which is a cable-stayed bridge in case you were curious:

• Bridge length: 968 metres
• Height: Pylons are 82 metres high
• Number of spans: 5
• Number of piers: 4

Baby photos

Here are some additional pictures of the bridge during construction!

Author: Jennifer Morland