Allanburg, Ontario
| Allanburg | |||
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 The bridge in Allanburg |
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| Location in Ontario | |||
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| State : |
 Canada
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| Province : | Ontario | ||
| Coordinates : | 43 ° 5 ′ N , 79 ° 13 ′ W | ||
Allanburg [ ˈælənbəɹg ] is a parish within Thorold , a city in Ontario . It is located on the Welland Canal and Highway 20, both of which are major transportation routes on the Niagara Peninsula .
Both paths cross a lift bridge , referred to as Bridge 11 by the Saint Lawrence Seaway Authority, but often simply called "Allanburg Bridge". In 2001 the bridge became known nationally after a collision with a ship.
Inauguration of the Welland Canal
On November 30, 1824, the foundation stone for the construction of the first Welland Canal was laid. Today a stone pyramid on the western driveway to the lifting bridge commemorates this event.
Windoc incident
On August 9, 2001 at around 9 p.m., the large-capacity freighter Windoc collided with the lifting bridge. The ship's wheelhouse and chimney were torn down in the collision and a fire broke out on board. Without a guide, the ship drifted downstream and ran aground about 800 meters from the bridge. Firefighters from across the Niagara region were involved in the effort to put out the fire and parked their fire trucks on the banks of the canal. The acrid smoke made the fire dramatic and the video footage was later shown on many news programs.
There were no deaths because the crew was able to leave the wheelhouse before it was destroyed. The canal was reopened to shipping two days later, but the bridge was initially secured in the position it was in at the time of the accident in order to give the engineers the opportunity to study the causes of the accident and to repair the bridge. Traffic through the center of Niagara was chaotic at the time because the ability to cross the canal was limited. Detours via the Thorold Tunnel in the north of Allanburg had to be accepted in order to get to Niagara.
Finally, the damage to the bridge was found and repaired. Since the event, the Windoc has been stuck in the port of Montreal , unable to maneuver and with a flooded hull. The later investigation found that the overtired bridge keeper lowered the bridge a little before the ship could leave the danger zone.