Black bowstring bridge is worth saving

Black bowstring bridge is worth saving
Thursday August 2 2007
Robert Hulley

A new bridge is being constructed to replace the bowstring bridge on County Road 25 just north of Grand Valley

Time is running out to save the Black bowstring concrete bridge from the wrecker's ball. Located on County Road 25 just to the north of Grand Valley, the bridge has served as a landmark in the community since it was built in 1930. The decision to replace the bowstring bridge with a modern facility was taken in the belief that a new bridge would be more functional and cost effective than restoring the existing bridge.
There are however, many heritage aspects connected with the existing bowstring bridge that go beyond financial considerations. No one, for example, would consider demolishing the Orangeville Town Hall or the old Carnegie Library in Shelburne because they are old and would cost more to restore than to build new structures. Why would cost effectiveness take precedence over preserving the heritage aspects of the Black bowstring bridge?

The existing bridge is one of the few remaining bowstring bridges in Ontario and is therefore, of local, provincial, and possibly national interest. It is a unique remnant and early example of highway bridge development in Ontario and the Black bowstring bridge is a rare example of the larger double lane bowstring bridges used by highway engineers at the time. It is one of the last bridges of this style to be built before the advent of the concrete arch bridge. It is a landmark in the community and a focal point of the surrounding landscape. It is also forms part of the Grand River Heritage River system.

The bridge is an integral and key part of the heritage character of the area. One has only to talk to the residents of Grand Valley to realize the important part the bridge has played in their everyday life. Harold Atkinson, who was seven at the time, vividly remembers the day all the school children from Number 6 school, located across the road from the bridge, were assembled to witness the ribbon cutting and pomp and ceremony the day the bridge was opened. He also remembers the day Morris Montgomery climbed to the highest point on one of the bridge's arches and stood on his head much to the astonishment and delight of the gathered crowd. Atkinson is quick to add that Montgomery went on to become a step dancing champion.

Atkinson also recalls how the townsfolk would make use of the ice below the bridge in winter as a covered skating rink.

"For some reason the snow never accumulated under the bridge", he recalled. "As children we would take our skates to school and at lunch we would don our skates and have a great time."

Pearl Newsom, a local historian, recalls the reason the bridge was originally constructed.

"In 1928 there used to be a wooden bridge that spanned the Grand at this point. It was built in 1903 by a man by the name of Black, and served the community well until a bus loaded with soldiers returning to Camp Borden, caused the bridge to collapse under its weight."

The local townspeople hastened to the rescue, including some of the village's eligible young ladies. Wayne Townsend, curator of the Dufferin County Museum recalls Velma Rounding telling him of how one of the soggy soldiers was so taken by his pretty rescuer that he eventually married her.

He also recalls, as a young man growing up in the area, that there was a large deep pool at the southeast end of the bridge. It made an excellent swimming hole that the locals loved to frequent on warm summer days. It also provided a way to show their prowess and fearlessness. Anyone brave enough to climb up one of the bridge arches and dive into the pool below earned his or her bragging rights. When I asked him if he ever did it, he proudly said, "Yes, that's when I became a man!"

So what is to become of the Black bowstring bridge now that its replacement is nearing completion? Plans are underway to demolish it, but is this the most practical step to take? After all one has only to look at the West Montrose covered bridge to see how another community cared for their heritage. Also, the City of Brampton recently won the coveted Heritage Canada Foundation's 2007 Achievement Award for restoring its prized Bowstring Bridge.

And, there is the 1991 case where the Township of Wellington unsuccessfully requested that the bowstring bridge in Eden Mills not be designated under the Ontario Heritage Act so that it too might be demolished. The Conservation Review Board of the Ministry of Culture and Communications at that time recommended among other things that, "There are many cases in Ontario and elsewhere where it has been found that it is not appropriate to sacrifice our built heritage on the alter of traffic efficiency." The county once again tried unsuccessfully in 1989 to have this decision overturned. At that time, one of the boards' recommendations "urged all parties to work towards a result which identifies and respects the inherent heritage components and value of this structure."

Retention and reworking of the existing bridge would have been the most desired outcome, but at this stage that is not going to happen. But is it too late to do anything with the old Black Bowstring Bridge other than to have it demolished?

According to David J. Cumming in his book, Discovering Heritage Bridges on Ontario's Roads, "adaptive reuse of bridges is only in its infancy in Ontario. Nevertheless realistic and feasible actions to protect bridges are encouraged by the prospect of reuse. Scenic lookout points, fishing spots, sitting areas and picnic sites are all potential new uses for bridges."

Particular sites in Ontario may well serve as excellent areas to show old and new together. Imaginative interpretative displays illustrating the various techniques of bridge building at different periods of time are particularly advantageous in entertaining and educating the tourist and scholars alike.

Perhaps what is needed now is a stay of execution until all aspects of the Black Bridge can be evaluated to consider and insure the sympathetic treatment of our heritage.