Burlington Bay James N. Allan Skyway
| Burlington Bay James N. Allan Skyway | |
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The Burlington Bay James N. Allan Skyway, taken in July 2004. The 1958 steel arch span carries QEW Toronto-bound traffic, and is in front of the 1985 concrete span, which carries Niagara-bound traffic. In the background is the Hamilton Harbour.
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| Coordinates | 43°17′58″N 79°47′53″W / 43.29945°N 79.79799°WCoordinates: 43°17′58″N 79°47′53″W / 43.29945°N 79.79799°W |
| Carries | 8 lanes of  QEW
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| Crosses | Hamilton Harbour |
| Locale | Hamilton, Ontario and Burlington, Ontario |
| Other name(s) | Burlington Skyway |
| Owner | Government of Ontario |
| Maintained by | Ontario Ministry of Transportation |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | steel through arch bridge - 1958 span Concrete box girder - 1985 span |
| Total length | 2,560 metres (8,400 ft) - 1958 span 2,215 metres (7,267 ft) - 1985 span |
| Width | 30 metres (98 ft) |
| Height | 64 metres (210 ft) |
| Longest span | 151 metres (495 ft) - 1958 span |
| Clearance below | 36.7 metres (120 ft) - 1958 span |
| History | |
| Architect | John Turner Bell |
| Designer | Philip Louis Pratley |
| Construction cost | CA$12 /million to CA$17,000,000 (equivalent to $141,820,000 in 2016) |
| Opened | October 30, 1958 (Northbound structure) October 11, 1985 (Southbound structure) |
| Rebuilt | 1985–88 (1958 span) |
| Statistics | |
| Daily traffic | 149,000 per day (2014) |
| Toll | 1958-1973 |
 Burlington Bay James N. Allan Skyway
Location in Southern Ontario
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The Burlington Bay James N. Allan Skyway, originally called the Burlington Bay Skyway and simply known as the Burlington Skyway, is a pair of high-level freeway bridges (built in 1958 and 1985) spanning the Burlington Bay Canal. The Skyway, as it is locally known, is located in Hamilton and Burlington, Ontario, Canada, and is part of the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) highway linking Fort Erie with Toronto.
The first bridge (steel structure) was completed in 1958 and officially opened October 30, 1958, crossing the narrow bar separating Burlington Bay from Lake Ontario. This allows for Great Lakes ship traffic to flow underneath while four lanes of Golden Horseshoe road traffic may flow on top of it, neither disturbing the other. The bridge was designed by John Turner Bell. Construction of the entire Skyway required 20,000 short tons (18,000 t) of steel and 90,000 cubic yards (69,000 m3) of concrete.
The bridge had tolls when constructed, but these were removed December 28, 1973 after they were found to heavily impede traffic flow. Truck drivers in particular had refused to take the tolled bridge since not only were they charged the full toll but also it took them extra fuel to ascend the Skyway. With the lifting of tolls on the bridge, trucks were then banned from using Beach Boulevard.
When traffic volume became more than the bridge could accommodate in the early 1980s, the bridge was twinned. The 1985 bridge was a conventional precast concrete box girder. When the new skyway (concrete structure) was opened on October 11, 1985, traffic was temporarily rerouted to it so that the old bridge could be extensively rehabilitated and this work was completed August 22, 1988. Afterwards, there were eight lanes of traffic crossing the harbour.
The twinning project also saw a major upgrade of the freeway approaches to the bridge. The entire project resulted in the QEW being widened to eight lanes from Burlington Street to Highway 403, with modern Parclo interchanges at Burlington Street, Northshore Boulevard (former Highway 2), and Fairview Street/Plains Road. This section has a variable lighting system to overcome the frequent fog found in the area. It is also the site of Ontario's first freeway traffic management system which incorporates traffic cameras and changeable message signs.
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