Prince Edward Viaduct

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Prince Edward Viaduct
Prince Edward Viaduct.jpg
Coordinates 43°40′31″N79°21′50″W / 43.67528°N 79.36389°W / 43.67528; -79.36389
CarriesUpper: 5 vehicle lanes and 2 bicycle lanes of Bloor Street East / Danforth Avenue
Lower: 2 tracks TTC - Line 2 - Bloor-Danforth line.svg of the Toronto subway
Crosses Don River
Locale Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Other name(s)Bloor Street Viaduct
Maintained by Toronto Transportation Services, Toronto Transit Commission
Characteristics
DesignDouble-decked arch bridge
Total length494 metres (1,620 feet)
Clearance below 40 metres (131 feet)
History
OpenedOctober 18, 1918 [1]
Location
Prince Edward Viaduct

The Prince Edward Viaduct System, commonly referred to as the Bloor Viaduct, is the name of a truss arch bridge system in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, connecting Bloor Street East, on the west side of the system, with Danforth Avenue on the east. The system includes the Rosedale Valley phase (a smaller structure, referred to as the Rosedale Valley Bridge, carrying Bloor Street over the Rosedale Ravine) and the Sherbourne Phase, an embankment built to extend Bloor Street East to the Rosedale Ravine from Sherbourne Street. The Don Valley phase of the system, the most recognizable, spans the Don River Valley, crossing over (from west to east) the Bayview Avenue Extension, the Don River, and the Don Valley Parkway.

Contents

The roadway has five lanes (three eastbound and two westbound) with a bicycle lane in each direction. [2] The subway level connects Broadview Station in the east with Castle Frank and Sherbourne Stations to the west.

History

Construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct in 1915 Construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct -a.jpg
Construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct in 1915

Referendums on the construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct were held in Toronto in every year from 1910 to 1913, with residents voting against its construction in 1912 by 59 votes and in favour in 1913 by 9236 votes. [3] The projected cost of its construction increased from CA$759,000 in 1910 to CA$2.5 million in 1913; its final cost was CA$2,480,349.05 ($39.5 million in 2021 dollars [4] ). Upon its completion in 1918, it was named for Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII).

The viaduct was designed to facilitate mass transit; its upper deck accommodated streetcars, while both the Don Valley phase and the Rosedale Valley phase included a lower deck for rail transport, controversial at the time because of its high additional cost. The bridge's designer and the commissioner of public works, R.C. Harris, were able to have their way and the lower deck eventually proved to save millions of dollars when the Toronto Transit Commission's Bloor–Danforth subway opened in 1966. The Rosedale Valley phase was not used for the subway, as the curve between each phase, as well as the curve to the west at Parliament Street, was considered too sharp for the subway. For this reason, a separate concrete bridge was built over the Rosedale Valley, just west of Castle Frank station.

The Prince Edward Viaduct resulted in more rapid development of those portions of Toronto lying on the east side of the Don Valley.

Design

Designed by Edmund W. Burke, the Prince Edward Viaduct is a three hinged concrete-steel arch bridge with a total span of 494 metres (1,620 feet), at 40 metres (131 feet) above the Don Valley. The bridge consists of a deck made of transverse beams and I-girders, which transfer load to column supports. The column supports then transfer the load to the trusses within the arches, which transfer the load to the arches themselves. Finally, the arches transfer their load through large hinges to a concrete pier and eventually to the ground. Steel was provided by Dominion Bridge Company. [5]

In addition to the Don River, the Don Valley Parkway, and Bayview Avenue, two railway lines, an electrical transmission line and a bicycle trail all pass under the bridge spans.

Luminous Veil

Over time, the Prince Edward Viaduct became a magnet for suicide, falling bodies posing risk to the traffic underneath. With nearly 500 suicides by 2003, the viaduct ranked as the most fatal standing structure in Canada and the second most in North America, after the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. [6] [7] At its peak in 1997, the suicide rate averaged one person every 22 days.[ citation needed ] In 1957, a child also climbed onto the railing and fell accidentally while walking along it but survived. [8]

The suicides and safety risks prompted the construction of a barrier in 2003, though it was first approved by Toronto City Council in 1998 and delayed because of concerns about funding; during that time, the viaduct was the site of an estimated 48 to 60 suicides. [9] [10] [11] The council originally approved a CA$2.5 million budget. However, the minimum bid for construction was CA$5.5 million. [9] Council eventually endorsed a fundraising campaign to raise the remainder of the money. [12] Construction was completed in 2003 at the cost of CA$5.5 million, with CA$2.5 million coming from taxpayers. [12]

The Luminous Veil in 2005, shortly after its construction PrinceEdwardViaduct 2005-10-01.jpeg
The Luminous Veil in 2005, shortly after its construction

The barrier was called the Luminous Veil. [6] Designed by architect Dereck Revington and engineers at Halcrow Yolles and completed in 2003, the Luminous Veil consists of over 9,000 steel rods, 12.7 cm (5.0 in) apart and five metres (16 ft) high, stretched to cantilevered girders. [13] The tensile structure was difficult to analyze and required several tests at the University of Toronto. Initially, cost prohibited the planned lighting to be installed on the top horizontal member. The lighting installation was completed in July 2015. [14] The Luminous Veil received in 1999 a Canadian Architect Award of Excellence. [15]

A 2010 study found that though the barrier prevented suicide attempts from the viaduct, overall rates of suicide by jumping for the City of Toronto have not changed since its construction. [16] However, a 2017 study with the same lead author found that "over the long term, suicide-by-jumping declined in Toronto after the barrier with no associated increase in suicide by other means". [17]

The bridge was shut down for three days to allow the filming of Resident_Evil: Apocalypse (2004), where in the film it represented the only way out of Racoon City. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Viaduct</span> A multiple span bridge crossing an extended lower area

A viaduct is a specific type of bridge that consists of a series of arches, piers or columns supporting a long elevated railway or road. Typically a viaduct connects two points of roughly equal elevation, allowing direct overpass across a wide valley, road, river, or other low-lying terrain features and obstacles. The term viaduct is derived from the Latin via meaning "road", and ducere meaning "to lead". It is a 19th-century derivation from an analogy with ancient Roman aqueducts. Like the Roman aqueducts, many early viaducts comprised a series of arches of roughly equal length.

The Don Valley Parkway (DVP) is a municipal freeway in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, which connects the Gardiner Expressway in downtown Toronto with Highway 401. North of Highway 401, it continues as Highway 404. The parkway runs through the parklands of the Don River valley, after which it is named. It has a maximum speed limit of 90 km/h (56 mph) for its entire length of 15.0 km (9.3 mi). It is six lanes for most of its length, with eight lanes north of York Mills Road and four lanes south of Eastern Avenue. As a municipal road, it is patrolled by the Toronto Police Service.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherbourne station</span> Toronto subway station

Sherbourne is a subway station on the Bloor–Danforth line in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The station, which opened in 1966, is located west of Sherbourne Street on the south side of Bloor Street East. The station primarily serves the St. James Town neighbourhood and the southern portion of Rosedale. Wi-Fi service is available at this station. In December 2021, this station became an accessible subway station after undergoing renovations that began in August 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Frank station</span> Toronto subway station

Castle Frank is a station on Line 2 Bloor–Danforth of the Toronto subway. It is located at the northwest corner of Bloor Street East and Castle Frank Road. Wi-Fi service is available at this station.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cancelled expressways in Toronto</span> Unbuilt freeways in Toronto, Canada

The cancelled expressways in Toronto were a planned series of expressways in Toronto, Ontario, Canada that were only partially built or cancelled due to public opposition. The system of expressways was intended to spur or handle growth in the suburbs of Toronto, but were opposed by citizens within the city of Toronto proper, citing the demolition of homes and park lands, air pollution, noise and the high cost of construction. The Spadina Expressway, planned since the 1940s, was cancelled in 1971 after being only partially constructed. After the Spadina cancellation, other expressway plans, intended to create a 'ring' around the central core, were abandoned.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloor Street</span> Major thoroughfare in Toronto

Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Parkway. East of the viaduct, Danforth Avenue continues along the same right-of-way. The street, approximately 25 kilometres (16 mi) long, contains a significant cross-sample of Toronto's ethnic communities. It is also home to Toronto's famous shopping street, the Mink Mile.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Danforth Avenue</span> Arterial street in Toronto

Danforth Avenue and Danforth Road are two historically-related arterial streets in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Danforth Avenue is an east-west street that begins in Old Toronto at the Prince Edward Viaduct as a physical continuation of Bloor Street and continues for about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) east through old Toronto, about 350 metres (1,150 ft) of old East York, and a further 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) in Scarborough until it intersects with Kingston Road via a ramped interchange. Danforth Road splits off the Avenue west of Warden Avenue and runs diagonally northeast until south of Lawrence Avenue, where it continues as McCowan Road.

The Queen Street subway line was a proposed subway line for the city of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. It was one of many subway lines planned for, but has yet to be built by the Toronto Transit Commission.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hogg's Hollow Bridge</span> Set of four highway bridges in Toronto, Ontario

Hoggs Hollow Bridge, originally known as the Yonge Boulevard Viaduct, is a set of four separate highway bridges that span the West Branch of the Don River Valley in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and carries 14 lanes of Highway 401. The four structures are the busiest multi-span bridge crossing in North America, surpassing the Brooklyn Bridge.

A suicide bridge is a bridge used frequently by people to end their lives, most typically by jumping off and into the water or ground below. A fall from the height of a tall bridge into water may be fatal, although some people have survived jumps from high bridges such as the Golden Gate Bridge. However, significant injury or death is far from certain; numerous studies report minimally injured persons who died from drowning.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Leaside Bridge</span> Bridge in Toronto, Ontario, Canada

The Leaside Bridge, formerly the East York Leaside Viaduct, and officially commemorated as the Confederation Bridge, is a truss bridge that spans the Don River in the City of Toronto, Ontario. Carrying six lanes of Millwood Road, it was built to connect the then Town of Leaside, including Thorncliffe Park, to the then Township of East York, and was completed on October 29, 1927. The construction time of only 10 months was record breaking at the time.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suicide barrier</span> Barrier to prevent suicide from a tall structure

A suicide barrier is a structure intended to deter people from attempting suicide by deliberately jumping from a high place on a structure. Suicide barriers often consist of nets, metal screening, and fencing. Suicide barriers may be placed on tall bridges, observation decks, and other tall structures.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Castle Frank Brook</span> River in Ontario, Canada

Castle Frank Brook is a buried creek and south-west flowing tributary of the Don River in central and north-western Toronto, Ontario, originating near the intersection of Lawrence Avenue and Dufferin Street.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Crawford Street Bridge</span> Bridge in Ontario, Canada

Crawford Street Bridge is one of two known bridges that once spanned over Garrison Creek valley — the actual creek disappeared as brick sewer by the 1920s) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, and buried intact in the 20th century. The bridge shares design features with the larger Prince Edward Viaduct.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sherbourne Blockhouse</span>

Following the Upper Canada Rebellion of 1837 Lieutenant Governor of Upper Canada Sir George Arthur directed the construction of a Sherbourne Blockhouse, and a ring of six other blockhouses -- to guard the approaches to Toronto in case there was another rebellion. The Sherbourne Blockhouse was located at the northern end of Sherbourne Street, at the current intersection with Bloor, just south of the Rosedale Ravine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rosedale Valley Bridge</span> Bridge in Ontario, Canada

The Rosedale Valley Bridge is a covered arch bridge located in the northeast part of Downtown Toronto, Ontario. Built in 1966 by architect John B. Parkin, the concrete bridge carries Line 2 trains of the subway across the Rosedale Ravine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Toronto Railway Company Belt Line</span>

The Toronto Railway Company Belt Line was a streetcar route that operated in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The route was created by the Toronto Railway Company in 1891 and taken over by the Toronto Transportation Commission in 1921, which cancelled the route in 1923 as part of its reorganization of streetcar routes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bloor streetcar line</span> Former Toronto streetcar line (closed 1966)

The Toronto Transit Commission operated the Bloor streetcar line along Bloor Street and Danforth Avenue, extending at its longest from Jane Street in the west end of the city to Luttrell Avenue in the east. Both Luttrell and Jane loops at the termini were transfer points between streetcars and suburban bus routes. The line was abandoned in 1966 with the opening of the Bloor-Danforth subway line, except for two stubs of the line abandoned in 1968.

References

  1. ↑ Rose, Phyllis (1984). "Into the twentieth century — Two Toronto bridges". Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering. 11 (4): 875–883. doi:10.1139/l84-105.
  2. ↑ Photo of westbound traffic, Flickr
  3. ↑ "Toronto Prepares For A Million People, Carries All Bylaws, Bloor Street Viaduct Will Be Built". Toronto World. January 2, 1913. p. 1.
  4. ↑ 1688 to 1923: Geloso, Vincent, A Price Index for Canada, 1688 to 1850 (December 6, 2016). Afterwards, Canadian inflation numbers based on Statistics Canada tables 18-10-0005-01 (formerly CANSIM 326-0021) "Consumer Price Index, annual average, not seasonally adjusted". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021. and table 18-10-0004-13 "Consumer Price Index by product group, monthly, percentage change, not seasonally adjusted, Canada, provinces, Whitehorse, Yellowknife and Iqaluit". Statistics Canada. Retrieved April 17, 2021.
  5. ↑ Building Storeys — The Canada Linseed Oil Mills buildings & Sorauren Park, Spacing Toronto
  6. 1 2 Ritter, John (January 31, 2005). "Suicides tarnish the Golden Gate". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Tysons Corner, VA: Gannett. ISSN   0734-7456. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014. North America's No. 2 suicide draw, Toronto's Prince Edward Viaduct, built a multimillion-dollar barrier in 2003 after more than 400 suicides.
  7. ↑ Rivera, John (January 13, 2003). "A barrier to hopeless souls". The Baltimore Sun . Baltimore, Maryland: Tribune Company. p. 1. ISSN   1930-8965. Archived from the original on March 17, 2014. Retrieved March 16, 2014. "We look at this bridge and know there are at least 480 souls at the bottom who spent the last moment of their life on the way down. This is where they spent their last day before they went to eternity" says Al Birney
  8. ↑ "Tumbles From Viaduct, Boy Hits Mud, Unhurt". Globe and Mail. June 3, 1957. p. 1.
  9. 1 2 Mental Health Promotion: Overcoming the challenges to 'focusing upstream', Ontario Health Promotion E-Bulletin
  10. ↑ Do barriers around bridges prevent suicides?, CTV News
  11. ↑ NOW: Where spirits live, May 8 - 14, 2003 Archived December 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  12. 1 2 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-07-31. Retrieved 2014-07-18.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  13. ↑ NOW: Where spirits live, May 8 - 14, 2003 Archived December 14, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
  14. ↑ Bloor Viaduct’s ‘luminous veil’ to light up for Pan Am torch relay
  15. ↑ "Suicide prevention barrier". Canadian Architect. Business Information Group. August 2001. Archived from the original on October 22, 2006. Retrieved March 16, 2014.
  16. ↑ Bridge Barrier Fails to Lower Toronto's Suicide Rate: Suicide-by-jumping rate at Bloor Street Viaduct lower; rates at other bridges higher, HealthDay News, July 7, 2010. Retrieved from ModernMedicine.com's website, July 2, 2013.
  17. ↑ Did the suicide barrier work after all? Revisiting the Bloor Viaduct natural experiment and its impact on suicide rates in Toronto, BMJ Open, June 19, 2017. Retrieved from BMJ Open, October 10, 2019.
  18. ↑ Jeremy Bolt, Dan Carmody (2004). Building Raccoon City (Resident Evil: Apocalypse, DVD featurette). Sony Entertainment.

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