Old Finch Avenue Bailey Bridge

Updated on Jan 20, 2024

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Crosses Rouge River Clearance below Rouge River Total length 40 m Bridge type Bailey bridge		Design bailey bridge Opened 1954 Location Scarborough Body of water Rouge River

Carries single lane vehicular traffic Locale Scarborough, Ontario, Canada Maintained by Toronto Transportation Services Similar Sewells Road Bridge, Lake Shore Boulevard Bailey Bri, Cherry Street lift bridge, Rosedale Valley Bridge, Crawford Street Bridge

Hidden gems old finch avenue bailey bridge

The Old Finch Avenue bridge is a Bailey bridge in Toronto. The Finch bridge is used for limited vehicular traffic on Old Finch Avenue in north-east Toronto to cross the Rouge River. The bridge dates back to late October 1954; it was constructed by the army in three working days (including the timber piles supporting in mid-stream) using bridge components from Ontario Hydro, after Hurricane Hazel destroyed the old one. This bridge was built for single traffic, it is now controlled by traffic lights.

The bridge is considered an historic landmark in Toronto, where the City of Scarborough council has erected a plaque beside the bridge which reads:

BAILEY BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION 2ND FIELD ENGINEER REGIMENT On October 15, 1954, Hurricane Hazel struck the Scarborough area with terrifying force, severely damaging or completely washing out several bridges. To maintain a safe flow of traffic throughout the Municipality, a number of Bailey Bridges were erected by the 2nd Field Engineer Regiment of the Canadian Military Engineers. This bridge is the last of those remaining in service in Scarborough. This plaque serves to commemorate the efforts of the 2nd Field Engineer Regiment in meeting this natural disaster.

There are two other bailey bridges in the Greater Toronto Area:

Lake Shore Boulevard Bailey Bridge in Toronto

Old (16th Avenue) Bailey Bridge in Markham (16th Avenue east of Reesor Road)

References

Old Finch Avenue Bailey Bridge Wikipedia

(Text) CC BY-SA