Two Bridges

From under the Plaza Bridge (built in 1912), the magnificent Alexandra Bridge can be seen in the distance. The Alexandra Bridge was completed in 1900 and was originally built primarily as a train bridge to connect the provinces, (Ontario and Quebec) and growing cities of Ottawa and Hull.

The Plaza Bridge, at the head of the last set of locks at the northern end of the Rideau Canal, connects Rideau Street on the east side with Wellington Street on the west side of the canal.  The Plaza Bridge replaced the former Sappers and Dufferin Bridges (demolished prior to 1912) and modernized this important connection between what was once Upper and Lower Town in Ottawa.

The Alexandra Bridge, also known as the Royal Alexandra Interprovincial Bridge, continues to be a significant connector for vehicles and pedestrian traffic across the Ottawa River, just downstream of Parliament Hill. The Alexandra is a five span steel truss bridge that held the title, at the time of construction, of having a main cantilever span that was was the longest in Canada and the fourth longest in the world.

 

June 22, 2016June 22, 2016 by kvselliott Categories: Alexandra Bridge, Plaza BridgeTags: Alexandra Bridge, Dufferin Bridge, Ottawa, ottawa River, Plaza Bridge, Rideau Canal, Rideau Street, Sappers Bridge, Wellington Street Leave a comment

Pretoria Bridge

The Pretoria Bridge was built in 1915 and crosses the Rideau Canal connecting the Glebe and Centertown on the west shore of the canal to Old Ottawa East, on the east side. It is a vertical-lift bridge, where the middle part of the bridge is lifted on demand to allow boats to pass underneath. While the canal was built primarily for military purposes (1827 to 1832), it is now almost completely used for recreational purposes. The tower with windows pictured above, is the control tower where control of traffic and bridge operation takes place. Bridge operations are managed by Parks Canada employees who are responsible for the canal and locks in Ottawa.

Pretoria Bridge gets its name from Pretoria Avenue, which connects to the bridge west of the canal. “Pretoria” is a commemoration of the  Canadian presence (and lives lost) in the Boer War at the turn of the 20th century. Pretoria was the captured Boer capital at that time.

 

June 17, 2016June 17, 2016 by kvselliott Categories: Pretoria BridgeTags: Glebe, Ottawa, pretoria, Pretoria Bridge, Rideau Canal, Vertical-lift Bridge 1 Comment

George McIlraith Bridge

Construction of the George McIlraith Bridge was completed in 1965. The bridge crosses the Rideau River and links Alta Vista on the right (east) and Old Ottawa South on the left (west). Two major Ottawa roadways are connected by the bridge – Smyth Road in Alta Vista and Main Street in Old Ottawa South.

In the above picture, which is looking north, all of the buildings (apartments and condos) on the east side of the river are on Riverside Drive which roughly follows the Rideau River in this part of Ottawa. The George McIlraith Bridge is an important artery for vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

George McIlraith was a Member of Parliament and Cabinet Minister.

 

June 13, 2016June 13, 2016 by kvselliott Categories: George McIlraith BridgeTags: alta vista, Bridge, clouds, George McIlraith, George McIlraith Bridge, old ottawa south, Ottawa, Ottawa Bridges, Rideau River Leave a comment

Vimy Memorial Bridge at Dusk

Vimy Memorial Bridge is Ottawa’s newest bridge for vehicular traffic. It was finally completed in 2014 after many delays and cost overruns. The bridge memorializes the Battle of Vimy Ridge, a major engagement fought by Canadian forces in World War 1. The Canadian forces suffered over 10,000 casualties (about 3,600 killed) in the battle lasting about 4 days.

The Canadian government completed construction of the Vimy Memorial on the battle site  (about 175 north of Paris), in 1936. The Vimy Memorial commemorates the Battle of Vimy Ridge and also is a tribute to the over 60,000 Canadians who died in the First World War.

The bridge connects the Barrhaven community and Riverside South across the Rideau River.

June 9, 2016June 9, 2016 by kvselliott Categories: Vimy BridgeTags: Ottawa, Rideau River, Vimy Bridge Leave a comment

What’s the Connection?

What is the connection between the Minto Bridges built in Ottawa in 1900 and the Toronto Sky Dome?  

The answer is that the Dominion Bridge Company built both the Minto Bridges and the roof trusses for the retractible roof of the Sky Dome in 1989.  Above is the Minto Bridge nameplate that lists some local government officials from 1900. Also noted is the Dominion Bridge Company as the bridge contractor.

The Dominion Bridge company also built two other Ottawa bridges; the Alexandra Bridge (completed in 1901) and the Chaudière Bridge (completed in 1919). The Dominion Bridge Company was founded in Toronto in 1879 and operated until it declared bankruptcy in 1998.

June 8, 2016June 8, 2016 by kvselliott Categories: Minto BridgeTags: Alexandra, Alexandra Bridge, Bridge, Chaudiere, Chaudiere Bridge, Dominion Bridge Company, Green Island, Minto Bridge, Minto Bridges, nameplate, Ottawa, Rideau River, Truss Bridge Leave a comment

Minto Bridge

Minto Bridge was built in 1900, spanning the Rideau River, across Green Island and Maple Island to the shores of the Rideau. There are actually three separate truss bridges and they are sometimes referred to as the Minto Bridges. The western bridge (a single span), connects the west bank to Green Island and the eastern bridge connects Maple Island to the east bank (another single span). The central bridge, (pictured above) is a double span and it connects the two islands. All of the four spans are similar in construction and are all approximately the same length (25-35 meters).

The building on the left (on Green Island) served as Ottawa City Hall from about 1958 to 2001. Minto Bridges was named after the fourth Earl of Minto who was the 8th Governor General of Canada.

June 6, 2016June 8, 2016 by kvselliott Categories: Minto BridgeTags: Bridge, Bridges, Green Island, Maple Island, Ottawa, Rideau River, Truss Bridge Leave a comment

Cumming’s Bridge

This image was taken from the east bank of the Rideau River looking south. The sliver of a building on the left is a government building on River Road. The Cummings Bridge crosses the Rideau River and connects Rideau Street in the Sandy Hill neighbourhood to Montreal Road in the Vanier sector. Constructed in 1921, the bridge is named after Charles Cummings and family, who originally moved to this area in 1840.

Cumming’s Bridge is a multi-arch concrete bridge with 8 spans. It is approximately 275 meters in length and 16 meters wide. The bridge has four lanes of traffic, with bike lanes and a sidewalk on each side of the bridge. In 1998, there was a complete reconstruction of the bridge that included major structural reconditioning, widening of the bridge, and significant aesthetic improvements.

 

June 3, 2016June 3, 2016 by kvselliott Categories: Cummings BridgeTags: Arch, Bridge, Bridges, Cement Arch, clouds, Cummings Bridge, Montreal Road, Ottawa, Rideau River, Rideau Street, Sandy Hill, Vanier Leave a comment

Daniel O’Connor (1796-1858)

It was many years after Daniel O’Connor’s death, that the O’Connor Street Bridge was built (1907). The bridge was a consequence of the expansion of the new city of Bytown (later in 1855 renamed to Ottawa) and an extension of O’Connor Street into what is now Ottawa’s Glebe neighbourhood. O’Connor Street, a main north/south street in the developing city was named after Daniel O’Connor, who was an important figure in the development of the new city.

Daniel O’Connor was born in Tipperary, Ireland in 1796. After serving for a brief period in the military, he decided to seek his fortune in America. He left Ireland in 1821 and travelled, via Portugal and the Azores, to Baltimore. He visited some American coastal  cities and then St. John, New Brunswick, but being unable to get a firm business foothold, he returned to Ireland in 1824.  Once again he left Ireland (1826) to “try my fortune once more in America”. This time he made forays into what is now northern New York state, via the St. Lawrence River and Kingston. Again he was unsuccessful in establishing his business, and had decided to return to Ireland when he found out about the construction of the Rideau Canal in Bytown. “Realizing that the canal would make Bytown an important place for trade and commerce”, O’Connor made the arduous trip north.

O’Connor settled in Bytown in 1827 and lived there until he died in 1858. He had guessed right that Bytown would be his land of opportunity. In fact, he became an important figure in the development of Bytown, both as a businessman and as a civic leader (holding several government posts during his Bytown years). On New Year’s Eve, 1857, just shortly before O’Connor died, Ottawa was named the capital city of the Province of Canada.

Most of the above information is from Daniel O’Connor’s diary, now in the National Archives of Canada.

June 1, 2016June 6, 2016 by kvselliott Categories: O'Connor Street BridgeTags: Arch, Bridge, Bridges, Cement Arch, Glebe, O'Connor Street Bridge, Ottawa, Stone arch Leave a comment

O’Connor Street Bridge

The O’Connor Street Bridge in Ottawa’s Glebe neighbourhood, was designed by Francis Conroy Sullivan in 1907 and built the same year. It is a concrete, single arch bridge that spans Patterson Creek – which empties into the Rideau Canal. The bridge has a north/south orientation with two lanes of traffic and sidewalks for pedestrians, and it continues O’Connor Street across the waterway.

The bridge is no more than about 12 meters long and 6 meters wide and joins the two parts of the Glebe that are separated by Patterson creek. The arch is about 8 meters. Most of the traffic on the O’Connor Street Bridge is local, either leaving or returning to the neighbourhood.

The O’Connor Street Bridge was designated as an Ontario Heritage Property in 1988

Upcoming Posts:

1. Daniel O’Connor
2. Concrete Arch Bridges

May 30, 2016June 8, 2016 by kvselliott Categories: O'Connor Street BridgeTags: Bridge, Cement Arch, O'Connor Street, O'Connor Street Bridge, Ottawa, Rideau Canal, The Glebe Leave a comment