The Alex Fraser Bridge was the largest cable stayed bridge in the world when it was opened in 1986. It is still near the top ten, and was surpassed in North American only recently by the Arthur Ravenel Bridge in Charleston, South Carolina.

The bridge originally opened as a 4 lane bridge. Traffic volume soon grew to the point where the bicycle lanes were removed, and the bridge was painted for 6 lanes. Cyclists and pedestrians now use a pathway outside of the cables.

The bridge itself is a very conventional cable stayed bridge. It has two huge H-shaped towers, and a planes of cables fan out from each side of the vertical pillars of the H-towers. The 6-lane deck is built as a single span.

The Alex Fraser Bridge is named after Alexander Fraser, who passed away from cancer in 1989. Fraser served in local in British Columbia politics most of his life. He served as BC Minister of Transportation and Highways for 11 years prior to his death. It is interesting to note that the bridge crosses the Fraser River. The river is named after explorer Simon Fraser, and not the more modern Alexander Fraser.