Prince Edward Viaduct | |
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Coordinates | 43°40′31″N 79°21′50″W / 43.67528°N 79.36389°WCoordinates: 43°40′31″N 79°21′50″W / 43.67528°N 79.36389°W |
Carries | Upper: 5 vehicle lanes and 2 bicycle lanes of Bloor Street East / Danforth Avenue Lower: 2 tracks of of the Toronto subway |
Crosses | Don River |
Locale | Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
Other name(s) | Bloor Street Viaduct |
Maintained by | Toronto Transportation Services, Toronto Transit Commission |
Characteristics | |
Design | Double-decked arch bridge |
Total length | 494 metres (1,620 feet) |
Clearance below | 40 metres (131 feet) |
History | |
Opened | October 18, 1918 |
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, that connects 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. The subway level connects Broadview Station in the east with Castle Frank and Sherbourne Stations to the west.
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.