Prince Edward Viaduct: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 43°40′31″N 79°21′50″W / 43.67528°N 79.36389°W / 43.67528; -79.36389
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{{Infobox bridge
{{Infobox_Bridge
|bridge_name= Prince Edward Viaduct
|bridge_name= Prince Edward Viaduct
|image= toronto-bloorviaduct.jpg
|image= Prince Edward Viaduct.jpg
|caption=
|caption=
|official_name=
|official_name=
|also_known_as= Bloor Street Viaduct
|also_known_as= Bloor Street Viaduct
|carries= 5 lanes of [[Bloor Street]]/[[Danforth Avenue]], and the [[Bloor-Danforth (TTC)|Bloor-Danforth Subway]]
|carries= Upper: 5 vehicle lanes and 2 bicycle lanes of [[Bloor Street|Bloor Street East]] / [[Danforth Avenue]]<br/>Lower: 2 tracks {{rint|toronto|2}} of the [[Toronto subway]]
|crosses= [[Don River, Toronto|Don River]]
|crosses= [[Don River (Ontario)|Don River]]
|locale= [[Toronto, Ontario]], [[Canada]]
|locale= [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada
|maint= [[Toronto Transportation Services]], [[Toronto Transit Commission]]
|maint=
|id=
|id=
|design= [[Deck arch bridge]]
|design=Double-decked [[arch bridge]]
|mainspan=
|mainspan=
|length= 494 meters
|length= 494 metres (1,620 feet)
|width=
|width=
|clearance=
|clearance=
|below=
|below= 40 metres (131 feet)
|traffic=
|traffic=
|open= October 18, 1918 <ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1139/l84-105|title = Into the twentieth century — Two Toronto bridges|journal = Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering|volume = 11|issue = 4|pages = 875–883|year = 1984|last1 = Rose|first1 = Phyllis}}</ref>
|open= [[October 18]], [[1918]]
|closed=
|closed=
|toll=
|toll=
|map_cue=
|map_cue=
|map_image=
|map_image=
|map_text=
|map_text=
|map_width=
|map_width=
|coordinates= {{Coord|43|40|31|N|79|21|50|W|type:landmark_region:CA-ON|display=inline,title}}
|coordinates= [http://www.google.ca/maps?f=q&hl=en&q=prince+edward+viaduct&sll=49.891235,-97.15369&sspn=27.652846,59.238281&ie=UTF8&z=16&ll=43.674328,-79.362595&spn=0.007558,0.014462&t=h&om=1 Location on Google Maps]
|lat=
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}}
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 [[Castle Frank Brook|Rosedale Valley]] phase (a smaller structure, referred to as the Rosedale Valley Bridge, carrying Bloor Street over the [[Rosedale, Toronto|Rosedale]] Ravine) and the Sherbourne Phase, an [[Embankment (transportation)|embankment]] built to extend Bloor Street East to the Rosedale Ravine from [[Sherbourne Street, Toronto|Sherbourne Street]]. The Don Valley phase of the system, the most recognizable, spans the [[Don River (Ontario)|Don River Valley]], crossing over (from west to east) the [[Bayview Avenue]] Extension, the Don River, and the [[Don Valley Parkway]].


The roadway has five lanes (three eastbound and two westbound) with a bicycle lane in each direction.<ref>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/chuckkahn/42778110/ Photo of westbound traffic], Flickr</ref> The [[Toronto subway|subway]] level connects [[Broadview (TTC)|Broadview]] Station in the east with [[Castle Frank (TTC)|Castle Frank]] and [[Sherbourne (TTC)|Sherbourne]] Stations to the west.
The '''Prince Edward Viaduct System''' is the name of a [[bridge]] system in [[Toronto]], [[Ontario]], [[Canada]] that connects [[Bloor Street]] East, on the west side of the system, with [[Danforth Avenue]] on the east. The Don Valley phase of the system, more commonly known as the '''Bloor Street Viaduct''', '''The Bloor Viaduct''' or simply '''The Viaduct''', spans the [[Don River (Toronto)|Don River Valley]], crossing over (from east to west) the [[Don Valley Parkway]], the Don River, and [[Bayview Avenue]] Extension. The Don Valley phase is the most well known of the phases of the viaduct and will be the major focus of this article.


⚫
==History==
The Prince Edward Viaduct system also includes the Rosedale Valley phase (a smaller bridge carrying Bloor Street over the [[Rosedale, Toronto|Rosedale]] Ravine) and the Sherbourne Phase, an [[embankment]] built to extend Bloor Street East to the Rosedale Ravine from approximately Sherbourne Street.
[[File:Construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct -a.jpg|thumb|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.<ref>{{cite news|work=Toronto World|title=Toronto Prepares For A Million People, Carries All Bylaws, Bloor Street Viaduct Will Be Built|date=January 2, 1913|page=1}}</ref> The projected cost of its construction increased from {{CAD|759,000}} in 1910 to {{CAD|2.5 million}} in 1913; its final cost was {{CAD|2,480,349.05}} (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|CA|2480349.05|1918}}}} in {{Inflation-year|CA}} dollars{{inflation-fn|CA}}). Upon its completion in 1918, it was named for Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (later King [[Edward VIII]]).


⚫
The viaduct was designed to facilitate [[Public transport|mass transit]]; its upper deck accommodated [[streetcar]]s, 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 Water Treatment Plant#Roland Caldwell Harris|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 [[Line 2 Bloor–Danforth|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, [[Rosedale Valley Bridge|a separate concrete bridge]] was built over the Rosedale Valley, just west of [[Castle Frank station]].
The Bloor Street-Rosedale Valley Bridge is the western extension of the Prince Edward Viaduct. The bridge, officially known as the Rosedale Valley Phase of the Prince Edward Viaduct System, it runs west of the Bloor Street Viaduct and ends west of Parliament Street. The bridge stone work is similar to the Bloor Street Viaduct and another bridge on O'Connor Drive (over Taylor Creek) to the east of the [[Don River (Toronto)|Don River]].

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


==Design==
==Design==
⚫
Designed by [[Edmund Burke (architect)|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]].<ref>[http://spacing.ca/toronto/2010/04/09/building-storeys-the-canada-linseed-oil-mills-buildings-sorauren-park/ Building Storeys — The Canada Linseed Oil Mills buildings & Sorauren Park], Spacing Toronto</ref>
[[Image:Pesubway.jpg|thumb|175px|The subway deck of the bridge]]
⚫
Designed by Edmund W. Burke, the Prince Edward Viaduct is a three hinged concrete-steel [[arch bridge]], with a total span of 494 metres at 40 metres above the Don Valley. The bridge consists of a deck, made up 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, which transfer load to a concrete pillar, and eventually to the ground.


In addition to the [[Don River]], the [[Don Valley Parkway]], and [[Bayview Avenue]], a major railway line (containing the [[Richmond Hill (GO Transit)]] line), electrical transmission line, and bicycle trail all pass under the bridge spans.
In addition to the [[Don River (Ontario)|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<span class="anchor" id="LV"></span>===
⚫
==History==
Over time, the Prince Edward Viaduct became a [[Suicide bridge|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]].<ref name=Suicide>{{cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-01-30-goldengate-suicides_x.htm |title=Suicides tarnish the Golden Gate |work=usatoday30.usatoday.com |date=January 31, 2005 |publisher=[[Gannett Company|Gannett]] |location=[[Tysons Corner, Virginia|Tysons Corner, VA]] |issn=0734-7456 |quote=North America's No. 2 suicide draw, Toronto's Prince Edward Viaduct, built a multimillion-dollar barrier in 2003 after more than 400 suicides. |access-date=March 16, 2014 |first=John |last=Ritter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317022157/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-01-30-goldengate-suicides_x.htm |archive-date=March 17, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-01-13/news/0301130268_1_viaduct-birney-bridge |title=A barrier to hopeless souls |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=January 13, 2003 |publisher=[[Tribune Company]] |location=[[Baltimore|Baltimore, Maryland]] |issn=1930-8965 |quote="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 |access-date=March 16, 2014 |first=John |last=Rivera |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317021848/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-01-13/news/0301130268_1_viaduct-birney-bridge |archive-date=March 17, 2014 |url-status=live |page=1 }}</ref> At its peak in 1997, the suicide rate averaged one person every 22 days.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} In 1957, a child also climbed onto the railing and fell accidentally while walking along it but survived.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tumbles From Viaduct, Boy Hits Mud, Unhurt|newspaper=Globe and Mail|date=June 3, 1957|page=1}}</ref>
===Construction===
⚫
Referenda 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. The projected cost of its construction increased from C$759,000 in 1910 to C$2.5 million in 1913; its final cost was C$2,480,349.05 (~C$36 million in 2005 dollars when adjusted for inflation). Upon its completion in [[1918]], it was named for [[Edward VIII of the United Kingdom|the Prince of Wales, later Edward VIII]]


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.<ref name=ohpe>[http://www.ohpe.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=214&Itemid=78 Mental Health Promotion: Overcoming the challenges to 'focusing upstream'], Ontario Health Promotion E-Bulletin</ref><ref>[https://www.ctvnews.ca/do-barriers-around-bridges-prevent-suicides-1.529932 Do barriers around bridges prevent suicides?], CTV News</ref><ref>[http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2003-05-08/news_insight.php NOW: Where spirits live, May 8 - 14, 2003] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061214052645/http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2003-05-08/news_insight.php |date=December 14, 2006 }}</ref> The council originally approved a {{CAD|2.5 million}} budget. However, the minimum bid for construction was {{CAD|5.5 million}}.<ref name=ohpe /> Council eventually endorsed a fundraising campaign to raise the remainder of the money.<ref name=newsletter>{{cite web |url=http://www.eopa.ca/newsletters/DialogueNL.June2001.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-07-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731082137/http://www.eopa.ca/newsletters/DialogueNL.June2001.pdf |archive-date=2009-07-31 }}</ref> Construction was completed in 2003 at the cost of {{CAD|5.5 million}}, with {{CAD|2.5 million}} coming from taxpayers.<ref name=newsletter />
⚫
It was designed to facilitate [[Public transport|mass transit]]; its upper deck accommodated trams, 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, [[Edmund Burke (engineer)|Edmund Burke]], was able to have his way, and the lower deck eventually proved to save millions of dollars when the [[Toronto Transit Commission]]'s [[Bloor-Danforth (TTC)|Bloor-Danforth subway]], opened in [[1966]], was able use the Don Valley phase with no major structural changes to cross the Don River Valley. (The Rosedale Valley phase was not used; a separate bridge was built over Rosedale Valley west of the [[Castle Frank (TTC)|Castle Frank Subway Station]] at the west end of the Bloor-Danforth Viaduct).
[[File:PrinceEdwardViaduct 2005-10-01.jpeg|thumb|The Luminous Veil in 2005, shortly after its construction]]
The barrier was called the ''Luminous Veil''.<ref name=Suicide /> Designed by architect Dereck Revington and engineers at Halcrow Yolles and completed in 2003, the Luminous Veil consists of over 9,000 steel rods, {{cvt|12.7|cm|||}} apart and {{convert|5|m|spell=in||}} high, stretched to cantilevered girders.<ref name=nowtoronto>[http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2003-05-08/news_insight.php NOW: Where spirits live, May 8 - 14, 2003] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061214052645/http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2003-05-08/news_insight.php |date=December 14, 2006 }}</ref> 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.<ref>[http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/1405112/bloor-viaducts-luminous-veil-to-light-up-for-pan-am-torch-relay/ Bloor Viaduct’s ‘luminous veil’ to light up for Pan Am torch relay]</ref> The Luminous Veil received in 1999 a Canadian Architect Award of Excellence.<ref>{{cite journal |date=August 2001 |title=Suicide prevention barrier |url=http://www.cdnarchitect.com/issues/ISarticle.asp?id=70662&story_id=CA99959&issue=08012001&PC=&RType= |url-status=dead |journal=Canadian Architect |publisher=Business Information Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061022012732/http://www.cdnarchitect.com/issues/ISarticle.asp?id=70662&story_id=CA99959&issue=08012001&PC=&RType= |archive-date=October 22, 2006 |access-date=March 16, 2014 }}</ref>


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.<ref>[http://www.modernmedicine.com/modern-medicine/news/modernmedicine/modern-medicine-news/bridge-barrier-fails-lower-torontos-suicide 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.</ref> 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".<ref>[https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/5/e015299.long 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.</ref>
===Growth of Toronto===
The Prince Edward Viaduct has had two major impacts on the development of Toronto as a city. First, the completion of the Prince Edward Viaduct resulted in the “unification” of Toronto. Prior to the Prince Edward Viaduct, Toronto was much smaller than it is today; after its completion, Toronto grew more steadily, as traffic exchanged over the bridge stimulated the economy and helped the city to grow. Secondly, the [[Bloor-Danforth (TTC)|Bloor-Danforth]] line of the [[Toronto Transit Commission]]'s [[Toronto subway and RT|subway system]] wouldn't have been possible without the completion of the viaduct and the architect's decision to have a lower deck on the bridge.


==Suicide==
==Popular culture==
The bridge was shut down for three days to allow the filming of ''[[Resident_Evil:_Apocalypse#Filming|Resident Evil: Apocalypse]]'' (2004), where in the film it represented the only way out of Racoon City.<ref name=building>{{cite video| people=Jeremy Bolt, Dan Carmody | title=Building Raccoon City| medium=Resident Evil: Apocalypse, DVD featurette| publisher= Sony Entertainment| date= 2004}}</ref>
===A magnet for suicide===
At the time of the construction of the viaduct, suicide was not considered to be a major social issue, and as such the bridge design did not include any means for the prevention of suicides. As suicide became more prevalent in society, and with an increase in the city population, the Prince Edward Viaduct became a magnet for suicide, as people could easily jump over its short railings. This not only posed a risk to the lives of the jumpers, but also to the traffic underneath, which was in danger of being hit by a falling body.

With over 400 suicides, the Viaduct ranked as the second most fatal standing structure in the world, after the [[Golden Gate Bridge]] in [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]]. A 1997 report from the '''[[Schizophrenia]] Society of Ontario''' cited the average of "one person jumping from the bridge every 22 days". After years of controversy, the bridge's reputation as a "suicide magnet" eventually led to the construction of a suicide barrier called the [[Luminous Veil]]. The [[Jacques Cartier Bridge]] in [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]] is now the leading site for suicides in Canada.

===The Luminous Veil===
Designed by architect [[Derek Revington]] and completed in [[2003]] at the cost of [[Canadian dollar|C$5.5 million]]<ref name="ohpe">[http://www.ohpe.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=214&Itemid=78 Mental Health Promotion: Overcoming the challenges to 'focusing upstream']</ref>, the '''[[Luminous Veil]]''' consists of over 9,000 steel rods, 12.7cm apart and 5m high, stretched to cantilevered girders to function as a suicide barrier.<ref name="nowtoronto">http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2003-05-08/news_insight.php</ref> At the same time as the construction of the Luminous Veil, the bridge also underwent a renovation with the water proofing and concrete deteriorations being replaced. While awaiting approval of the barrier and during construction, which was subject to numerous delays, 48 to 60 suicides took place at the bridge.<ref name="ohpe"/><ref name="nowtoronto"/> Since completion of the barrier, there have been zero suicides.<ref>[http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2005/11/03/MNG9UFHK811.DTL LETHAL BEAUTY]</ref><ref>[http://www.sfist.com/archives/2005/01/19/theres_stairs_of_course_but_some_prefer_to_take_the_fast_way_down.php There's Stairs, of Course, but Some Prefer to Take the Fast Way Down</ref>

==Structural art==
[[Image:Toronto_PEV_Sunset.JPG|thumb|175px|PEV at sunset]]
The Prince Edward Viaduct is a structurally symmetric bridge, an artistic aspect that is appreciated by people. Its black arches contrast its beige concrete piers in a manner that exposes their intricacies. The Luminous Veil has been regarded as a great contribution to structural art, as it is not only functional, but aesthetically pleasing as well, and it received the 1999 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence.<ref>http://www.cdnarchitect.com/issues/ISarticle.asp?id=70662&story_id=CA99959&issue=08012001&PC=&RType=</ref>

==Appearance in popular culture==
* The construction of the bridge was used as a setting for the historical fiction of [[Michael Ondaatje]]'s novel ''[[In the Skin of a Lion]]''.
* A scene from the movie [[Resident Evil: Apocalypse]] was filmed on the Viaduct.
* The song "War On Drugs" by the [[Barenaked Ladies]] was inspired by, and refers to, the Viaduct.
* The bridge plays a key role in the play ''[[In Gabriel's Kitchen]]'' by [[Salvatore Antonio]], which is set before construction of the Luminous Veil.
* In an [[Degrassi Junior High]] episode title ''Dog Days''', the character [[Stephanie Kaye]] contemplates on jumping off it, and committing suicide. Her brother Arthur later talks her out of it.


==See also==
==See also==
* [[Royal eponyms in Canada]]
* [[Monarchy in Ontario#Places of interest|Monarchy in Ontario]]
* [[Suicide bridge]]

* [[List of bridges in Canada]]
⚫
==External Links==
* [http://maps.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&q=&om=1&z=17&ll=43.675415,-79.363475&spn=0.004245,0.008669&t=k|Bloor Street Viaduct on Google Maps]
* [http://wholemap.com/map/llz.php?lat=43.67569393757561&lng=-79.36167240142822&zoom=15 Location of the viaduct with photos and links to web sites related to the area]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
<div class="references-small"><references/></div>


⚫
==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Prince Edward Viaduct}}

{{Bridges in Toronto}}
{{Crossings navbox
|structure = Bridges
|place = [[Don River (Ontario)]]
|bridge = Prince Edward Viaduct
|bridge signs =
|upstream = [[Leaside Bridge]]
|upstream signs =
|downstream = [[Gerrard Street (Toronto)#Gerrard Street Bridge|Gerrard Street Bridge]]
|downstream signs =
}}
{{Toronto landmarks}}


[[Category:Railway bridges in Ontario]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1918]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1918]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1966]]
[[Category:Bridges in Toronto]]
[[Category:Bridges in Toronto]]
[[Category:Road-rail bridges]]
[[Category:Don River (Ontario)]]
[[Category:Viaducts]]
[[Category:Double-decker bridges]]
[[Category:Deck arch bridges]]
[[Category:Road-rail bridges in Canada]]
[[Category:Viaducts in Canada]]
[[Category:Truss arch bridges]]
[[Category:Concrete bridges in Canada]]
[[Category:Road bridges in Ontario]]
[[Category:Public art in Toronto]]
[[Category:Suicide prevention]]

Latest revision as of 01:56, 6 May 2024

Prince Edward Viaduct
Coordinates43°40′31″N 79°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 of the Toronto subway
CrossesDon River
LocaleToronto, Ontario, Canada
Other name(s)Bloor Street Viaduct
Maintained byToronto Transportation Services, Toronto Transit Commission
Characteristics
DesignDouble-decked arch bridge
Total length494 metres (1,620 feet)
Clearance below40 metres (131 feet)
History
OpenedOctober 18, 1918 [1]
Location
Map

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.

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[edit]

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 ($43.8 million in 2023 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[edit]

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[edit]

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

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]

Popular culture[edit]

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[edit]

References[edit]

  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 2024-05-08.
  5. ^ Building Storeys — The Canada Linseed Oil Mills buildings & Sorauren Park, Spacing Toronto
  6. ^ a b 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. ^ a b 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. ^ a b "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.

External links[edit]

Media related to Prince Edward Viaduct at Wikimedia Commons

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