Dufferin Street bridges explained

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 were built in 2013-2014 to allow a resumption of traffic in early 2014.^[1] As of July 2023 the spans over the Gardiner Expressway remain in place, as do the temporary bridges over the northern span.

North span

The truss bridge is a 30m (100feet) 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.^[2] However, in 2014, Bailey 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 35m (115feet) concrete overpass built in 1958 after demolition of the old Dufferin Gate to allow for clearance for the Gardiner Expressway below.^{[3] [4]}

Deterioration and replacement

After a report from external inspections conducted in 2007, the city decided to replace both spans with a single span.^[4] The report found that:

• the 1911 steel plate girder bridge over rail corridor is structurally unsafe for vehicular traffic
• the bridges lack space below to expand the rail corridor
• the bridges need to provide space for future LRT corridor to the south end of the bridge
• the 1958 concrete bridge over Gardiner Expressway needs maintenance to keep it structurally safe
• the replacement should eliminate the existing 10m (30feet) gap between the two existing bridges spans

From June 2013 the bridges have been closed to vehicular traffic. In November 2013-early 2014, the north bridge superstructure was replaced by three temporary bridges - two for traffic, and a third for pedestrians. The temporary bridges were opened in 2014 and are still used as of September 11, 2021. ^[5]

Toronto tried deciding the type of bridge that will span over the tracks, but the decision was canceled as of September 11, 2021. ^[6] The four types were:

• Steel plate box girder
• Hung arch
• Cable stay
• Concrete box girder

Notes and References

1. Web site: Deteriorating Dufferin Street bridge to close for 18 months . Citynews.ca . 2013-06-03 . 2013-11-04.
2. Web site: City of Toronto . Dufferin Bridges: Appendix E: Structural Options Evaluation .
3. Web site: A brief history of the Dufferin Gate at the CNE grounds . Blogto.com . 2012-01-28 . 2013-11-04.
4. Web site: City of Toronto . Dufferin Bridges: Municipal Class Environmental Assessment .
5. Web site: gordperks.ca . Dufferin Street Bridge Demolition and Installation of Temporary Crossing .
6. Web site: Structural Engineering Evaluation . LEA Consulting Ltd. . 10 March 2011 . Dufferin Bridge EA Study . City of Toronto . https://web.archive.org/web/20160131042503/http://www1.toronto.ca/city_of_toronto/policy_planning_finance__administration/public_consultation_unit/transportation_office/dufferin_street_bridges/files/pdf/appendix_e.pdf . 31 January 2016 . dead .