News   Mar 28, 2024
 1K     2 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 566     2 
News   Mar 28, 2024
 862     0 

Bathurst Street... can you believe it?

Lone Primate

Active Member
Member Bio
Joined
Aug 16, 2007
Messages
987
Reaction score
145
Location
Don Mills Willowdale Park Forest something I dunno
Some of you may have seen the article in The Star last week that talked about a short stretch of Bathurst Street up in East Gwillumbury that was so poor that they closed it in the 1990s, and how they're now keen to reopen and improve it. I was really intrigued so on the weekend I and a buddy went up there to take shots of the stretch before it's erased from history. I hadn't expected much but there was actually a wonderful little one-lane bridge (in fact, that whole winding stretch of Bathurst strikes me as one lane; it must have been some ride 20 years ago). I knew from GoogleMaps there was a stream there but I'd expected just a culvert over it. The bridge is in terrible shape, other than the deck, but it might just survive because I highly doubt the new course of the road will follow the old.

Here's a GoogleMap of the site. The closed section runs about half a mile...

And now, the photos. We came in from the south, didn't make it quite to the other end (extremely slippery, and we'd had about enough). On our way back, the clouds burst and we got absolutely soaked. I'm just glad my cameras and cell phone survived unharmed!

IMG_2351.jpg

IMG_2356.jpg

IMG_2357.jpg

IMG_2358.jpg

IMG_2360.jpg

IMG_2361.jpg

IMG_2366.jpg

IMG_2366_Panorama_1.jpg

IMG_2377.jpg

IMG_2379.jpg

IMG_2380.jpg

IMG_2386.jpg

IMG_2387.jpg

IMG_2388.jpg

IMG_2389.jpg

IMG_2390.jpg

IMG_2391.jpg

IMG_2392.jpg

IMG_2395.jpg

IMG_2396.jpg

IMG_2399.jpg

IMG_2402.jpg

IMG_2403.jpg

IMG_2405.jpg

IMG_2410.jpg

IMG_2411.jpg

IMG_2412_Panorama_2.jpg

IMG_2420.jpg

IMG_2421.jpg

IMG_2422.jpg

IMG_2430.jpg

IMG_2431.jpg

IMG_2432.jpg

IMG_2434.jpg

IMG_2435.jpg

IMG_2436.jpg

IMG_2437.jpg

IMG_2438.jpg

IMG_2439.jpg
 

Attachments

  • IMG_2439.jpg
    IMG_2439.jpg
    100.1 KB · Views: 824
  • IMG_2351.jpg
    IMG_2351.jpg
    96.6 KB · Views: 854
  • IMG_2356.jpg
    IMG_2356.jpg
    96.3 KB · Views: 823
  • IMG_2357.jpg
    IMG_2357.jpg
    100.2 KB · Views: 844
  • IMG_2358.jpg
    IMG_2358.jpg
    90.5 KB · Views: 843
  • IMG_2360.jpg
    IMG_2360.jpg
    97.1 KB · Views: 852
  • IMG_2361.jpg
    IMG_2361.jpg
    96 KB · Views: 846
  • IMG_2366.jpg
    IMG_2366.jpg
    98.9 KB · Views: 828
  • IMG_2366_Panorama_1.jpg
    IMG_2366_Panorama_1.jpg
    105.9 KB · Views: 846
  • IMG_2377.jpg
    IMG_2377.jpg
    99.7 KB · Views: 843
  • IMG_2379.jpg
    IMG_2379.jpg
    99.3 KB · Views: 828
  • IMG_2380.jpg
    IMG_2380.jpg
    98.7 KB · Views: 805
  • IMG_2386.jpg
    IMG_2386.jpg
    99 KB · Views: 837
  • IMG_2387.jpg
    IMG_2387.jpg
    99.6 KB · Views: 834
  • IMG_2388.jpg
    IMG_2388.jpg
    97 KB · Views: 804
  • IMG_2389.jpg
    IMG_2389.jpg
    99.9 KB · Views: 804
  • IMG_2390.jpg
    IMG_2390.jpg
    100.6 KB · Views: 822
  • IMG_2391.jpg
    IMG_2391.jpg
    98.2 KB · Views: 803
  • IMG_2392.jpg
    IMG_2392.jpg
    99.9 KB · Views: 849
  • IMG_2395.jpg
    IMG_2395.jpg
    98.9 KB · Views: 818
  • IMG_2396.jpg
    IMG_2396.jpg
    98.6 KB · Views: 822
  • IMG_2399.jpg
    IMG_2399.jpg
    100.6 KB · Views: 802
  • IMG_2402.jpg
    IMG_2402.jpg
    98.3 KB · Views: 801
  • IMG_2403.jpg
    IMG_2403.jpg
    97.3 KB · Views: 807
  • IMG_2405.jpg
    IMG_2405.jpg
    96.9 KB · Views: 809
  • IMG_2410.jpg
    IMG_2410.jpg
    97.5 KB · Views: 812
  • IMG_2411.jpg
    IMG_2411.jpg
    98 KB · Views: 809
  • IMG_2412_Panorama_2.jpg
    IMG_2412_Panorama_2.jpg
    102.8 KB · Views: 821
  • IMG_2420.jpg
    IMG_2420.jpg
    94.7 KB · Views: 830
  • IMG_2421.jpg
    IMG_2421.jpg
    97.7 KB · Views: 795
  • IMG_2422.jpg
    IMG_2422.jpg
    85.2 KB · Views: 811
  • IMG_2430.jpg
    IMG_2430.jpg
    97.7 KB · Views: 802
  • IMG_2431.jpg
    IMG_2431.jpg
    94.7 KB · Views: 820
  • IMG_2432.jpg
    IMG_2432.jpg
    100.1 KB · Views: 807
  • IMG_2434.jpg
    IMG_2434.jpg
    100.4 KB · Views: 825
  • IMG_2435.jpg
    IMG_2435.jpg
    97.5 KB · Views: 798
  • IMG_2436.jpg
    IMG_2436.jpg
    101.9 KB · Views: 818
  • IMG_2437.jpg
    IMG_2437.jpg
    101.4 KB · Views: 820
  • IMG_2438.jpg
    IMG_2438.jpg
    99 KB · Views: 828
Awesome, indeed - I love it!

Sounds like you really did get out of there in time - that spot could be completely underwater now, just like the other end of Bathurst!
 
And in ten years it will be your typical suburban road with many beautiful strip malls and gas stations. Thanks in documenting before that happens.
 
Some of you may have seen the article in The Star last week...

I did, and I want to thank you for providing the “Street View†perspective The Star did not.

To borrow a quote from Blade Runner. “You’ve done a man’s job, Sir.â€
 
Let me see, the last time I drove that road, had to be 1992?? probably a bit before that.
It was fun ride but it was nowhere like it is today, it was actually quite good for what it was.
It comes out at Yonge and was a good route for me to get from downtown to Innisfil and avoid the 400.
Have to check some old maps, maybe those McMaster ones show the original route. I believe what is now Bathurst is quite different.

Edit: Yes, you can see the old route of the road just south of the closed off section.
 
Last edited:
I did, and I want to thank you for providing the “Street View” perspective The Star did not.

To borrow a quote from Blade Runner. “You’ve done a man’s job, Sir.”

I enjoy how Streetview captures an older man with an SLR camera around his neck wandering back to his car immediately south of the closure.
 
And in ten years it will be your typical suburban road with many beautiful strip malls and gas stations. Thanks in documenting before that happens.

You reminded me of this clip from The Great Outdoors.

[video=youtube;dxg0LRTHgAU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dxg0LRTHgAU[/video]
 
Some of you may have seen the article in The Star last week that talked about a short stretch of Bathurst Street up in East Gwillumbury that was so poor that they closed it in the 1990s, and how they're now keen to reopen and improve it. I was really intrigued so on the weekend I and a buddy went up there to take shots of the stretch before it's erased from history. I hadn't expected much but there was actually a wonderful little one-lane bridge (in fact, that whole winding stretch of Bathurst strikes me as one lane; it must have been some ride 20 years ago). I knew from GoogleMaps there was a stream there but I'd expected just a culvert over it. The bridge is in terrible shape, other than the deck, but it might just survive because I highly doubt the new course of the road will follow the old.

Here's a GoogleMap of the site. The closed section runs about half a mile...

And now, the photos. We came in from the south, didn't make it quite to the other end (extremely slippery, and we'd had about enough). On our way back, the clouds burst and we got absolutely soaked. I'm just glad my cameras and cell phone survived unharmed!

Your photos remind me of the time when I biked along the entire length of Yonge street, from the lake to the other end just north of Queensville Side Road. It was interesting to see it go from an urban main street to this...

12187182474_216a2994a7_b.jpg


12187000233_61e9e6deb8_b.jpg


12187184224_1ebe3098f1_b.jpg


12187184824_ec345099aa_b.jpg
 
Last edited:
Well, it was only a hundred years ago Bathurst north of St. Clair looked like this:



And Eglinton near Bathurst looked like this:



And St. Clair looked like this:

 
Last edited:
Bathurst Street looking south to the bridge angling south-west from Front & Bathurst.

f1231_it1779.jpg

f1231_it1780.jpg


On the southwest side of the bridge, looking east and north. Fort York would be behind camera.

f1231_it2190.jpg


Looking northwest towards Bathurst bridge.

f1231_it1922.jpg
 

Back
Top