How to Cross the Canal
Lift Bridge
The Welland Canal cuts right
across the Niagara Peninsula, so people have built both bridges over it
and tunnels underneath it.
The Garden City Skyway being one
of the larger bridges that crosses the Welland Canal is 5.6 kilometres
long and 37.5 metres high at its highest point.
The height of the ships was a big
problem for bridge builders. Either one builds a low bridge that can be
lifted out of the way or, one builds a very high bridge.
There are two types of liftable
bridges crossing the Welland Canal. The one shown at the top of this page
is a Verticle Lift Bridge. The other type is hinged like a door and it
swings open, from a lowered horizontal position to a raised verticle
position. It is called a bascule bridge.
Do you know how the bridges work ?
I have some idea. Engineers use
counterweights to balance the weight of the bridge which makes them easier
to open and close.
Yes, bascule bridges work like
teeter-totters. Remember baby-sitting the kids from down the road and we
took them to the park? I had to sit closer to the centre of the
teeter-totter bar to balance the smaller kid.
