Roads: Bathurst Street Bridge

It looks like du Toit Allsopp Hillier will be getting the design contract for the new Bathurst Street Bridge. The new design review panel will be looking at the du Toit Allsopp Hillier design at their meeting next Thursday.

Great. This shows that the city is serious about good design for this bridge. After the whole Island Airport bridge debacle, I was afraid of what future bridges would look like.

Given the way Porter has been able to prove that an airport can coexist with the waterfront, I would be willing to support a new lift bridge if it were a beautiful addition to our waterfornt rather than an industrial looking utilitarian appendage.

Bathurst will become very important in the North-South connection between the city and the waterfront so I'm holding my breath on this one... although the choice of architect allows me to breath in a little.

Mike:

Do you know if they are getting rid of the old steel span bridge? Personally I think it's bit of an eyesore and pretty impractical, but you never know...

AoD

MetroMan - you realize this is the Bathurst bridge over the railway tracks, right?

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http://maps.live.com/default.aspx?v...&scene=28308369&phx=0&phy=0&phscl=1&encType=1

isn't it a heritage bridge?

I understand that the metal truss is heritage protected and will be included in the new design. Apparently there's also going to be a streetcar ROW, so the bridge as a whole will have to be widened.

I was of the understanding that the part of the bridge they are replacing is the span south of the truss... that the truss was refurbished recently and didn't need replacement.

When will we see some designs?

To widen that main bridge will have major service disruption on the rail corridor.

From drawing I have seen, only the south ramp bridges were to be remove and a one built to bring the road down to the new Fort York extension level.

To widen the Main truss bridge will require all floor deck beams (east-west) to be removed all at the same time as well at the top along with bracing. The main support trusses have to be shore brace while the support beams are removed and then have to be move to the new support piers. Support shore bracing still has to be in place to hold the trusses in place until at least 6 main deck support beams (east-west) and the same at the top are in place to hold the trusses in place before bracing can remove to eliminated the impact on the rail corridor.

Since this is a live action area, most steel work will take place at night with some during the day.

Rail tracks can be move to the south end of the bridge for the Lake Shore line, but will be a tight turn for the other lines. Train service will not be reliable during this time. This after the existing ramp section is remove.

Since this bridge was built using rivets, it will take extra time to remove the connections. Using today bolting system, it will take less time to install the new steel.

I sure this is only for the south end, not the main truss. A good coat of paint will have the bridge looking good.

Thanks drum.

It makes sense DTAH is going to be responsible for this project - considering they did the Fort York and Block 32/36 plan on either side of Bathurst.

AoD

interchange42 said:

MetroMan - you realize this is the Bathurst bridge over the railway tracks, right?

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Click to expand...

I see where you might have misunderstood me since I mentioned the Lift Bridge to the Island airport which also was supposed to be on Bathurst.

I mentioned that bridge just as an example of the wrong direction we were going with bridge design, or non-design in that case.

I'm aware that this is for the Bathurst bridge @ Fort York Blvd. which in fact won't span over the rail corridor. That bridge will remain. This is for the concrete bridge that commences where the iron bridge ends.

MetroMan said:

I see where you might have misunderstood me since I mentioned the Lift Bridge to the Island airport which also was supposed to be on Bathurst.

I mentioned that bridge just as an example of the wrong direction we were going with bridge design, or non-design in that case.

I'm aware that this is for the Bathurst bridge @ Fort York Blvd. which in fact won't span over the rail corridor. That bridge will remain. This is for the concrete bridge that commences where the iron bridge ends.

Click to expand...

There are 2 type of steel bridge there now. The Main truss and smaller plate girders going south. The small girders bridge ran over tracks leading to the roundhouse and service area.

All the small girder structure and supporting columns will be torn down and replace by a genital sloping one.

It will be nice to see the new drawing.

drum118 said:

All the small girder structure and supporting columns will be torn down and replace by a genital sloping one.

Click to expand...

Please don't explain.

Genital sloping!

No no, genteel slapping.