Dufferin Street bridges

The Dufferin Street bridges are two inter-connected vehicular bridges in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The bridges carry Dufferin Street over a railway corridor and the Gardiner Expressway to Exhibition Place. The bridges closed to vehicular traffic in 2013. Temporary structures, namely Bailey bridges over the railway tracks, will be built in 2013-2014 to allow a resumption of traffic in early 2014.[1] Beginning in 2016 the bridges will be completely rebuilt to allow more tracks to cross underneath and create a single span to the CNE grounds.[2] As of March 2019 the spans over the Gardiner Expressway remain in place and the bailey bridges replacing the older outer pedestrian bridges of the northern span with the inner vehicular steel plate box girder bridge still in place.

Dufferin Street Truss Bridge/Dufferin Street Overpass
The Dufferin Street bridges over the Gardiner Expressway and the rail line from the west.
Coordinates	43.634087°N 79.425402°W / 43.634087; -79.425402
Carries	Pedestrians and Vehicular
Crosses	Metrolinx/GO Transit rail corridor
Locale	Toronto, Ontario, Canada
Maintained by	Toronto Transportation Services
Characteristics
Material	Steel and Concrete
Total length	30 metres (98 ft) (rail bridge) 35 metres (115 ft) (overpass)
No. of spans	2
Clearance above	6.37 metres (20.9 ft) (rail bridge)
History
Construction start	1911 1958
Construction end	1912 (rail bridge) 1958 (overpass)
Opened	1912 1959
Closed	2013

North span

The truss bridge is a 30 metres (98 ft) steel truss bridge, built from 1911 to 1912 to cross over railway tracks south of Springhurst Avenue. Four tracks pass under the bridge. A 2013 engineering study determined that the bridge was unsafe and not viable to be repaired.[3] However in 2014 only baily bridges were added for pedestrian traffic on the east and west sides, while the inner steel plate box girder bridge for vehicular traffic remains in place.

South span

The south span is a 35 metres (115 ft) concrete overpass built in 1958 after demolition of the old Dufferin Gate to allow for clearance for the Gardiner Expressway below[4][5] and will be replaced after 2016 along with the north span in 2016.[3]

Deterioration and replacement

After a report from external inspections conducted in 2007 the city decided to replace both spans with a single span:[5]

• 1911 steel plate girder bridge over rail corridor is structurally unsafe for vehicular traffic
• lack space below to expanded rail corridor
• need to provide space for future LRT corridor to the south end of the bridge
• 1958 concrete bridge over Gardiner Expressway needs maintenance to keep it structurally safe
• eliminate the existing 10 metres (33 ft) gap between the two existing bridges spans

Temporary north bridges

From June 2013 the bridges have been closed to vehicular traffic. Starting in November 2013, the north bridge superstructure will be replaced by three temporary bridges - two for traffic, and a third for pedestrians. These will open in early 2014. The temporary bridges will be used until 2016, when construction will begin on a new bridge to replace the two current spans.[6]

City is still deciding the type of bridge that will span over the tracks.[7]

• steel plate box girder
• hung arch
• cable stay
• concrete box girder

Gallery

• 
  View of Dufferin Street bridge showing deterioration.
• 
  Looking north from Dufferin Gate with overpass in foreground and truss bridge in background

References

1. "Deteriorating Dufferin Street bridge to close for 18 months". Citynews.ca. 2013-06-03. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
2. City of Toronto Staff. "City of Toronto: Get involved". Toronto.ca. Archived from the original on 2013-06-24. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
3. "Dufferin Bridges: Appendix E: Structural Options Evaluation" (PDF). City of Toronto.
4. "A brief history of the Dufferin Gate at the CNE grounds". Blogto.com. 2012-01-28. Retrieved 2013-11-04.
5. "Dufferin Bridges: Municipal Class Environmental Assessment" (PDF). City of Toronto.
6. "Dufferin Street Bridge Demolition and Installation of Temporary Crossing" (PDF). gordperks.ca.
7. LEA Consulting Ltd. (10 March 2011). "Structural Engineering Evaluation" (PDF). Dufferin Bridge EA Study. City of Toronto. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 January 2016. Retrieved February 2016. Check date values in: |accessdate= (help)