Weston Road Bridge

[LowPolygon]

does anyone have any idea where this was? i know Weston Road very well and for some reason i can't place where this bridge was. that building in the back with the two cupolas is a bit of a landmark. Thanks!

 

[adma]

That's the Old Weston Road Bridge. It crossed the Junction en route to the Dundas/Dupont/Annette intersection. (It closed in the early 70s, and was demolished some years later.)

 

[JasonParis]

That's exactly where I was thinking. Although at the time it would have just been "Weston Road," as "Old Weston Road" likely only got the "Old" moniker when the route of Weston Road was changed.

There's actually still a tiny orphaned piece of Old Weston Road in the Junction that basically goes nowhere (as the bridge is now gone).

 

[LowPolygon]

thank you!

i can see very clearly where it was now, and the orphaned piece of old Weston Road, on Google Earth...

 

[JasonParis]

Could a case be made to reconnect the Old Weston Roads now?

 

[Edward]

Why was it removed in the first place?

 

[Anna]

http://www.flickr.com/photos/loneprimate/sets/72057594051922402/

 

[CityPlaceN1]

Lone Primate is a member here though I'm not sure if he has posted recently.

 

[jessehirsh]

Way back in the 60s and early 70s at the height of our auto-centric civilization, there were plans to build DVP like expressways down Spadina and Keele to connect the downtown with the 401. As they were both being built, opposition started to spring up, and it was largely the Annex residents like Jane Jacobs and John Sewell who in stopping the Spadina expressway also stopped the one slated for Keele and Parkside Dr. The legacy of that era is both the Allen Rd and Black Creek Drive mini-highways that stop suddenly at or just past Eglinton.

I believe the timing of the Weston Road Bridge coincides with this planned highway development. Rather than repair it they assumed it would be replaced by the new expressway. When that ended so did traffic planning in that part of the city.

The intersection of Dupont/Dundas/Annette even with new lane configurations and paint is still a crazy zone. Following the link to the photos on flickr you get an anecdote about junction rd and old weston road and how there's always traffic there. That north bit of old weston road and davenport is also a crazy traffic zone as traffic increases to reach the big box stores at keele and st. clair.

The good news of course is the slow but steady decline of the auto-centric civilization, and with the new mural we're starting to see this old rail area get reclaimed by bikes and pedestrians, with autos confined to single lane. Although east on Dupont there's now parking in bike lane's which makes it dangerous re: getting doored or swiped...

 

[billyfly]

I believe the City obtained a quote a few years back to rebuild the bridge and it was too costly. It would probably help with traffic congestion in the area due to the fact that you have the big box stores in the Stockyards area and essentially only 1 North/South throughfare (Keele).

 

[JasonParis]

If the plan is dead to reconnect the Old Westons, it may make sense to re-name the orphaned portion as it likely just leads to confusion.

 

[junctionist]

We sure lost a lot of attractive industrial buildings in the Junction. Some are just empty lots today; others where replaced or renovated quite cheaply and look quite dull today.

We did get that interesting Keele Centre modernist warehouse at Keele and West Toronto Street with the tall second level ramps accessible to 18 wheelers. (Unfortunately, it shares its name with a halfway house down the street.) It's in shabby shape today, but it could be a standout building if a good modern architect was commissioned for its renovation.

 

[Anna]

BTW, I love the date plaques to show when the pictures were taken. Especially this one.

and this one

 

[Woodbridge_Heights]

Awesome photos!!! It's a shame that the bridge is gone and not likely to return. There are a number of points in the Junction area where the railways chop up the street grid. A few bridges over them would go a long way.

 

[adma]

To present-day eyes, it's almost like the big brother to the Wallace St Pedestrian Bridge.

But really; you don't have to over-invoke past "auto-centric civilzation" expressway plans to comprehend why the Old Weston Road Bridge was deemed an obsolete dinosaur by the 70s. And bear in mind that had it stood longer, it might have been pedestrianized instead.

IIRC the concrete approach ramps survived some time into the 1980s, maybe even longer...