I don't know how much help this will be, but...
The Science Centre in Vancouver, BC (sorry, I don't have the address
handy) did an exhibit earlier this year on the Lions Gate Bridge, the
connection between Vancouver and West Vancouver. It's undergoing
investigation as to possible replacement or enhancement (developer sorts
want to replace it, preservationists want to build another elsewhere or
something). The exhibit included a section on the history of the bridge,
the options for its future, and a section where one could try to build a
bridge that would actually stand up (lots of stuff on design requirements
to learn before you could get very far). I thought it a fairly good
exhibit. You might want to try and contact the Centre.
Eileen Mak
Dept. of History
UBC