The North Arm Bridge is an extradosed bridge

Extradosed bridge

An extradosed bridge employs a structure that is frequently described as a cross between a girder bridge and a cable-stayed bridge. The name comes from the French word extradossé, which is derived from the word extrados. Extrados is defined as the exterior curve of an arch.This description is...

 in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia

British Columbia

British Columbia is the westernmost of Canada's provinces and is known for its natural beauty, as reflected in its Latin motto, Splendor sine occasu . Its name was chosen by Queen Victoria in 1858...

, Canada

Canada

Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...

. It spans the north arm of the Fraser River

Fraser River

The Fraser River is the longest river within British Columbia, Canada, rising at Fraser Pass near Mount Robson in the Rocky Mountains and flowing for , into the Strait of Georgia at the city of Vancouver. It is the tenth longest river in Canada...

, linking Vancouver

Vancouver

Vancouver is a coastal seaport city on the mainland of British Columbia, Canada. It is the hub of Greater Vancouver, which, with over 2.3 million residents, is the third most populous metropolitan area in the country,...

 to Richmond

Richmond, British Columbia

Richmond is a coastal city, incorporated in the Canadian province of British Columbia. Part of Metro Vancouver, its neighbouring communities are Vancouver and Burnaby to the north, New Westminster to the east, and Delta to the south, while the Strait of Georgia forms its western border...

. It is used by trains on the Canada Line

Canada Line

Canada Line is a rapid transit line in the Metro Vancouver region of British Columbia, Canada. Opened in August 2009, it is the third line in TransLink's SkyTrain metro network, servicing Vancouver, Richmond, and the Vancouver International Airport...

, which opened in August 2009. The bridge is billed as North America's first extradosed bridge.

The bridge also has a dedicated pedestrian and bicycle pathway underneath one of its wings.

Bridge Details

The North Arm Bridge does not carry automotive vehicles, as the neighbouring Oak Street Bridge

Oak Street Bridge

The Oak Street Bridge is a four-lane bridge crossing the Fraser River connecting Vancouver to Richmond in British Columbia. The main spans are heavy steel deck plate girders continuous over three spans of 60.9, 91.4 and 60.9 metres. The bridge is a part of Highway 99.- History :The Oak Street...

 does. The bridge has two tracks enabling SkyTrains

SkyTrain (Vancouver)

SkyTrain is a light rapid transit system in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. SkyTrain has of track and uses fully automated trains on grade-separated tracks, running mostly on elevated guideways, which helps SkyTrain to hold consistently high on-time reliability...

 to pass each other either way traversing the bridge between Bridgeport Station in Richmond and Marine Drive Station

Marine Drive Station

Marine Drive Station is a SkyTrain station on the Canada Line in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.-Location:The station is located on the southeast corner of the intersection of Southwest Marine Drive and Cambie Street. It serves the residential areas of Marpole and the Vancouver South Slope...

in south Vancouver. The main span is 180 metres (591 ft) and has a total length of 562 m (1844 ft). The bridge deck elevation can go up to 25 metres (83 ft) while the maximum tower elevation is 47 metres (154 ft).