Allanburg
Allanburg lift bridge, 1950s
Allanburg is a small community in Thorold. A vertical lift bridge (bridge no. 11) can be seen at a distance when approaching Allanburg on Highway 20. Originally the bridge carried traffic from King's Highway no. 3A. It was built around 1930, at the same time as the numerous other vertical lift bridges over the fourth Welland canal.
An accident involving the bridge occurred in August 2001. The bulk carrier Windoc was travelling underneath the bridge and was struck by the bridge's vertical lift span. The bridge had been lowered before the carrier had cleared the structure. The Windoc drifted downstream, caught fire, and grounded about 800 metres from the bridge. The vessel was heavily damaged and declared a total loss. The bridge suffered structural damage as well. The incident resulted in the closure of the canal to vessel traffic for two days. The bridge remained closed for nearly two months, reopening to vehicular traffic on November 16. An investigation found that the bridge was lowered inadvertently and the bridge operator was likely impaired at the time of the accident.
Allanburg lift bridge today
