Today when driving on Ontario’s modern highways we hardly know when we are crossing a bridge because most modern superstructures are beneath the road surface and out of sight. In the blink of an eye we could have crossed even moderate large rivers or streams. Of course, it wasn’t always that way and the graceful arches and steel configurations of bridges built around the turn of the last century were all visible and lent an interesting break to what might have been an otherwise rather mundane trip. Many bridges acted as landmarks, almost like huge mile markers to the seasoned motorist.
In East Garafraxa Township, for example, just to the west of Orangeville, Ontario, both a Steel Truss and a Concrete Bowstring bridge still exist and stand large and visible. No one could fail to realize that they were crossing the Grand River on either one of these distinctive and unique bridges.
Because they are only one concession apart both bridges can be seen by taking a loop either by heading south from County Road 9 or by heading north from County Road 3. The bridges are little used today because the roads leading to them are unpaved, and few travelers other than local residents and a few sightseers have any reason to use them. It’s almost worth a side trip just to see the bridges. The rural setting adds intrigue to their majesty which, in their time, were considered to be engineering masterpieces.
The older of the two is a steel truss bridge located on the 13th Line. It was built in 1908 by the Hamilton Bridge Works Company. Wood gave way to steel in the mid 1800’s and various forms of long span steel bridges were developed to fill the needs of the railways. As a consequence steel truss bridges also became the design of choice on southern Ontario roads during the same period.
The 12th Line Bridge is known as a single span six panel Pratt style riveted medium weight bridge. It measures 124.2 feet in length with a roadbed of 16.8 feet. It has additional diagonals on the two central panels. The top cords run parallel to the roadbed.Its connections are riveted and probably were sub-assembled at a factory in Hamilton and shipped to the site by rail and then riveted in place under the supervision of the Company’s Engineer. It now sits on concrete abutments which at some stage probably replaced or covered the original stone work. The bridge is unusual in that its beams are constructed from two “U” beams with steel plates on top and “V” lacing below. Another unique feature is that it has the maker’s plaque still remains on the portal bracing which in addition to the Company’s name gives their location and date of construction. Unfortunately, this information is partly obscured by a height restriction sign.
In 1904 just prior to the 13th line steel bridge being constructed a Frenchman designed an all concrete bowstring bridge. The idea was simple; two long arches would continuously encase the roadbed by wrapping the vertical members down and under and becoming part of the deck.
The concrete arch bridge has a number of advantages over steel. It was cheaper to build, could be built on a skew and did not require deep abutments. The first bridge of this type to be built in Canada was in 1909 on the Middle Road across the Etobicoke Creek near Toronto. By the mid twenties some 65 bridges of this type were built and most were located in Ontario. By World War II, however, the construction of concrete bowstring bridges had all but ended. The Ontario Department of Highways for example, built its last two 1931.Although neither the name of the builder and Consulting Engineer of the 12th Line Bowstring Bridge are known, Frank Barber was active in designing this type of bridge at that time. Contractors by the name of Bowman and Conner built a number of similar bridges in adjoining Wellington County. It is likely that either one or both were involved in the construction of this bridge.
The multi span concrete Bowstring Bridge on the 12th Line is unique. It was built at the height of the great depression in 1923. More than likely it was built as part of the Government’s “make work” program to prime the pump and get the economy working again. In addition, the bridge is a rare design since it is a multi span double arch bridge built on a skew and supported by a concrete pier in the center.
For the most part both bridge types are disappearing from Ontario’s highways and byways. I personally miss the occasional distraction while driving along our roads and I would encourage our road engineers to promote the adaptive reuse of these bridges rather than having them removed when they need upgrading.
As Michael B. Vaughn, Q.C., Chairman, Ministry of Culture and Communications, Conservation Review Board wrote when handing down a heritage hearing decision, “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.”
