The Rosedale Valley Bridge (also called the Rosedale Ravine Bridge) is a

covered Cover or covers may refer to: Packaging * Another name for a lid * Cover (philately), generic term for envelope or package * Album cover, the front of the packaging * Book cover or magazine cover ** Book design ** Back cover copy, part of ...

arch bridge An arch bridge is a bridge with abutments at each end shaped as a curved arch. Arch bridges work by transferring the weight of the bridge and its loads partially into a horizontal thrust restrained by the abutments at either side. A viaduct (a ...

in the northeast of

Downtown Toronto Downtown Toronto is the main central business district of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Located entirely within the district of Old Toronto, it is approximately 16.6 square kilometres in area, bounded by Bloor Street to the northeast and Dupont St ...

, Ontario. Built in 1966 by architect John B. Parkin (now part of Delcan Corporation), the

concrete bridge Concrete is a composite material composed of fine and coarse aggregate bonded together with a fluid cement (cement paste) that hardens (cures) over time. Concrete is the second-most-used substance in the world after water, and is the most wid ...

carries Line 2 trains of the subway across the Rosedale Ravine. The eastern end of the Rosedale Valley Bridge is situated at the west end of Castle Frank station. The bridge itself runs on the north side of and almost parallel to the Rosedale section of the

Prince Edward Viaduct 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, connecting Bloor Street East, on the west side of the system, with Danforth Avenue on the east. The ...

. The viaduct opened in 1918 and had a lower deck over its entire length designed for

rail transport Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...

. When the first phase of the Bloor subway line opened, its tracks used the lower deck of the main phase across the Don River Valley to the east as originally intended. However, since the approach curves leading to the Rosedale section would be too sharp for the trains, the dedicated Rosedale Valley Bridge was built to carry them, and the lower deck of the original viaduct remains unused. Although the bridge once had open

skylight A skylight (sometimes called a rooflight) is a light-permitting structure or window, usually made of transparent or translucent glass, that forms all or part of the roof space of a building for daylighting and ventilation purposes. History Ope ...

s for ventilation, they were later covered to reduce noise to the surrounding area. It can be seen from the north side of

Bloor Street Bloor Street is a major east–west residential and commercial thoroughfare in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Bloor Street runs from the Prince Edward Viaduct, which spans the Don River Valley, westward into Mississauga where it ends at Central Par ...

, which crosses from the adjacent Prince Edward Viaduct, or from below on Rosedale Valley Road which it passes over.

Other bridges

Besides the Rosedale Valley Bridge and Prince Edward Viaduct, there are three other bridges that span above Rosedale Valley Road: *

Glen Road Bridge A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

: a pedestrian only deck

truss bridge A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...

built after the 1950s to replace a late 19th Century road bridge * Sherborne Street Bridge: original deck

was built before 1909, demolished in 1952 and replaced by current steel

beam bridge Beam bridges are the simplest structural forms for bridge spans supported by an abutment or pier at each end. No moments are transferred throughout the support, hence their structural type is known as ''simply supported''. The simplest beam ...

* Mount Pleasant Road Bridge: deck

built in 1943

References

{{Toronto landmarks Bridges completed in 1966 Bridges in Toronto Concrete bridges in Canada Covered bridges in Canada Don River (Ontario) Open-spandrel deck arch bridges in Canada Railway bridges in Ontario Road-rail bridges Viaducts in Canada