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User:Alaney2k/Bridges of the East Don Valley

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Bridges of the Don Valley
Don Valley
· Lower Don Valley
· East Don Valley
· West Don Valley
Part of the series on the
Don Valley
Toronto bridges ·

The East Don Valley is a branch of the Don River valley of Toronto, Ontario. It flows from north to south, meeting the West Don branch of the Don near Don Mills Road and the Don Valley Parkway. The floodplains of the East Don are conserved, with no development permitted. The floodplains, while lumbered, have been allowed to regenerate and are now mostly in a forested state.

The bridges of the Don River can be classed into three separate classes:

Railways entered the Don River valley starting in the 1870s. The CPR entered the valley in the 1880s.

The bridges of the East Don Valley are listed from south to north. Bridges of the East Don are located in Toronto and Vaughan.

East Don

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North-east of the Leaside bridge, the Don River forks into east and west forks and Massey Creek. The East Don fork continues in a north-easterly direction.

Image Description Carries Built Type Location
Don Mills Road bridge

View of the Don Mills Road and trail bridge from the north.

This bridge carries four lanes of traffic over the East Don River. This bridge is located south of Overlea, on the valley base. Don Mills Road ca. 1960 Girder
Old Don Mills Road bridge

View of the old Don Mills Road bridge, from the east.

This bridge now is used for access to a parking lot on the Charles Sauriol conservation lands. Parkland roadway ca. 1920 Concrete girder and arch
Don Mills Road CNR overpass bridge

View of the Don Mills Road bridge over the CNR, from the west.

Don Mills Road ca. 1950s Steel girder
Trail bridge over CNR rail lines

View of bailey bridge from west.

The trail bailey bridge connects the Sauriol Conservation Reserve with the trail west of Don Mills Road. Bicycle trail 45 ca. 1990s? Bailey Bridge
Don Valley Parkway at Forks of the Don bridge

View of bridge over East Don and CNR, from east.

The bridge carries six lanes of traffic over the East Don and the CNR rail line. On the south bank, the City of Toronto is building recreational trails. Don Valley Parkway ca. 1957 Concrete deck on girders
Eglinton Avenue bridge

View of bridge from south-west.

The Eglinton Avenue bridge was one of the first bridges built by Metro Toronto, connecting an important arterial road in Toronto's grid roadway system across the deep East Don ravine. The bridge carries six lanes of traffic, and like most bridges of the Metro era is a simple deck design with no ornamentation. The supporting concrete pillars are adorned with simple decoration. Eglinton Avenue East ca. 1950s Concrete deck on girders
Canadian Pacific Railway Don Valley Parkway bridge

View of bridge from south

In the vicinity of north of Wynford Drive, along the south face of the East Don River valley, the CPR is carried along a long concrete bridge crossing over the Don Valley Parkway from south-west to north-east. The bridge is more or less of a culvert design with one tunnel for each carriageway of the Parkway. Another tunnel was added in the 1990s to support a new on-ramp from the Concorde Place development. The tunnel was pre-fabricated and inserted into the bridge, 2 feet (0.61 m) at a time. CPR ca. 1950s, 1990 Reinforced concrete culvert
Canadian Pacific Railway East Don bridge

View of bridge from south

In the vicinity of north of Wynford Drive, along the south face of the East Don River valley, the CPR is carried along a long concrete bridge crossing over the Don Valley Parkway from south-west to north-east. The railway then goes over the East Don River and over the CNR railway line in the valley below. The trestle carries one line on a wooden deck, and one line on a concrete deck. The trestle supports are staggered, supporting one side of the deck by one set of supports, the other deck by the other set. CPR ca. 1880s, rebuilt 1920s Wood deck, concrete deck on trestle.
Canadian National Railway DVP Overpass bridge

View of bridge from north

The CNR rail lines travel along the west bank of the East Don River, crossing over the Don Valley Parkway in Milne Hollow, south of Lawrence Avenue. CNR ca. 1950s Reinforced concrete
Lawrence Avenue/Don Valley Parkway bridge

View of DVP bridge over Don, from east. View of Lawrence Ave bridge over Don, from south.

When the Don Valley Parkway was constructed, Lawrence Avenue did not cross the Don River. As part of the project, Lawrence Avenue was connected, with an interchange with the Parkway. The interchange was 'fitted' into a meander of the River.

Don Valley Parkway,
Lawrence Avenue East
ca. 1960s Concrete deck on steel girders
Footbridge Road bridge

View of bridge from north

Footbridge Road is a public right-of-way across the Donalda Golf & Country Club, connecting two Don Mills neighbourhoods. Footbridge Road (pedestrian bridge) ca. 1950s Steel truss
York Mills Road bridge

View of bridge from south.

This bridge carries six lanes of traffic, two lanes of which are only present over the bridge as York Mills is only four lanes wide east and west of the bridge. The bridge also crosses over the private property of the Donalda Golf and Country Cub. York Mills Road ca. 1960s Girder
Don Mills Road bridge

View of Don Mills Road from west.

This bridge is located north of York Mills Road. The bridge carries eight lanes of traffic over the East Don River. The bridge is marked with a Metro Toronto plaque for 1966 and 2002, the dates for the initial construction and a rebuild. The river passes through a concrete spillway under the bridge. The spillway has some rocks in the bed of the spillway. Don Mills Road ca. 1960s Girder
Duncan Mill Road bridge

View from the north of the Duncan Mill Road bridge.

The Duncan Mill Road bridge carries four lanes of traffic over the East Don River. Duncan Mill Road ca. 1960s Girder
Highway 401 East Don Overpass bridge

View of bridge from south-east.
View of underside of bridge.

This is a four-section bridge. Each section holds one component of the roadway passing overhead. The 401 highway is organized into express and collectors for both directions. The bridges carry twelve lanes of traffic and one off-ramp lane. Ontario Highway 401 ca. 1950s Four-section girder bridge.
Leslie Street/Sheppard Avenue bridge

View of subway bridge over East Don River. View of Sheppard Avenue/Leslie Street bridge from south-east.

At this point, the road network of Toronto intersects directly over the Don River. One bridge carries both streets over the Don, which passes on a diagonal from north-west to south-east. A subway bridge was built in the 1990s to carry the subway trains across the Don. Leslie Street,
Sheppard Avenue,
TTC Sheppard Avenue subway
ca. 1960s, 2000s Box girder, concrete
CNR Clarinda Park bridge

View of CNR trestle bridge from ravine.

CNR, GO 1920s Trestle
Clarinda Park pedestrian bridges

Pedestrian bridges of Clarinda Park

Finch Avenue bridge

View of Finch Avenue/East Don bridge from north

Finch Avenue ca. 1960s Girder
Cummer Avenue bridge

View of Cummer Avenue bridge over Don from north.

North of Cummer Avenue, the East Don forks. Cummer Avenue ca. 1960s Girder
Bayview Avenue bridge

View of bridge from west.

Located just south of Steeles Avenue. Bayview Avenue ca. 1960s Girder
Steeles Avenue bridge

View of Steeles Avenue bridge from south

The Steeles Avenue bridge carries six lanes of traffic over the East Don. Steeles Avenue ca. 1960s Girder
Bayview Avenue bridge

Bayview Avenue bridge, from west.

Old Bayview Avenue bridge at Steeles

Located just north of Steeles Avenue, a small creek flows into the East Don, under an old alignment of Bayview Avenue. The East Don passes under Bayview Avenue at this point flowing from north-east to south-west. Bayview Avenue ca. 1960s Concrete
Bayview Avenue bridge

View of bridge from west.

Located north of Steeles Avenue, at Doncrest Drive. Bayview Avenue ca. 1960s Girder
John Street bridge

View of bridge from south.

This bridge replaced a pioneer bridge from the 1800s over the East Don. Like the older bridge, this bridge carries two lanes of traffic over the River. John Street ca. 1990s Concrete
Old Langstaff Road bridge
Old Langstaff Road ca. 1890s Concrete

German Mills Creek

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German Mills Creek is a tributary of the East Don River, connecting with the Don just south of Steeles Avenue.

Image Description Carries Built Type Location
Leslie Street bridge

View from west.

Leslie Street 1971 Girder with concrete deck.
Steeles Avenue bridge

View from south.

This is the last bridge on the German Mills Creek fork. North of Steeles, the Creek passes under streets and railway lines through culverts.

ca. 1970s Girder with concrete deck.

Taylor-Massey Creek

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East of the forks, the valley of Taylor-Massey Creek is narrow and deep, widening and becoming shallow from Victoria Park east. The creek is crossed by culverts east of Pharmacy Avenue. The creek was known as Taylor Creek, Massey Creek and Silver Creek.

Image Description Carries Built Type Location
Don Valley Parkway bridge

View of bridge from south.

The bridge carries six lanes of traffic over Taylor-Massey Creek. The deck of the bridge is slightly banked, part of a curve of the Don Parkway. Don Valley Parkway ca. 1960 Girder
O'Connor Drive bridge
The bridge carries four lanes of traffic over Taylor-Massey Creek. O'Connor Drive - Girder
Dawes Road bridge
Dawes Road - Girder
Victoria Park Avenue bridge
Victoria Park Avenue - Girder
Pharmacy Avenue bridge
Pharmacy Avenue - Girder

See also

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References

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