Uploaded on 2016-09-21 by Sasha Kvakic
This is a photo of an ongoing bridge replacement project in Victoria BC, Canada. On the left is the old bascule drawbridge, on the right, behind the temporary fencing but mostly concealed are the steel reinforced concrete abutments, road approaches and control kiosk for the new bridge. The bridge decks and counterweights are currently being fabricated in China, providing an object lesson in the interconnectedness of global political economic systems. While one can not be sure of the origin of the raw materials, given Canada's ongoing role as a resource hinterland it is plausible that the iron ore, nickel, and metallurgical coal feedstocks originated locally, were shipped to China in raw bulk form and refined and processed there before being fabricated and eventually shipped back here.