Prince Edward Viaduct

History

Referendums on the construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct were held in Toronto in every year from 1910 to 1913, with residents voting against its construction in 1912 by 59 votes and in favour in 1913 by 9236 votes. The projected cost of its construction increased from in 1910 to in 1913; its final cost was ($ in dollars). Upon its completion in 1918, it was named for Prince Edward, Prince of Wales (later King Edward VIII).

The viaduct was designed to facilitate public transit: Its upper deck originally carried the Bloor streetcar line, while both the Don Valley and the Rosedale Valley spans included a lower deck for a potential future underground rapid transit line; controversial at the time because of its high additional cost. The bridge's designer and the commissioner of public works, R.C. Harris, were able to have their way and the lower deck eventually proved to save millions of dollars when the Toronto Transit Commission's Bloor–Danforth subway opened in 1966, which resulted in the abandonment of the Bloor streetcar (save for two short segments beyond the original ends of the subway line which closed two years later when it was extended). The Rosedale Valley span was not used for the subway, as the southward dip of Bloor between the spans at Parliament Street resulted in curves considered too sharp for the subway. For this reason, a separate subway bridge was built over the Rosedale Valley, just west of Castle Frank station.

The Prince Edward Viaduct resulted in more rapid development of those portions of Toronto lying on the east side of the Don Valley.

Design

Designed by Edmund W. Burke, the Prince Edward Viaduct is a three hinged concrete-steel arch bridge with a total span of 494 metres (1,620 feet), at 40 metres (131 feet) above the Don Valley. The bridge consists of a deck made of transverse beams and I-girders, which transfer load to column supports. The column supports then transfer the load to the trusses within the arches, which transfer the load to the arches themselves. Finally, the arches transfer their load through large hinges to a concrete pier and eventually to the ground. Steel was provided by Dominion Bridge Company.

In addition to the Don River, the Don Valley Parkway, and Bayview Avenue, two railway lines, an electrical transmission line and a bicycle trail all pass under the bridge spans.

Luminous Veil

Over time, the Prince Edward Viaduct became a magnet for suicide, falling bodies posing risk to the traffic underneath. With nearly 500 suicides by 2003, the viaduct ranked as the most fatal standing structure in Canada and the second most in North America, after the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco. At its peak in 1997, the suicide rate averaged one person every 22 days. In 1957, a child also climbed onto the railing and fell accidentally while walking along it, but survived. People who have survived the jump have had severe consequences including paralysis, organ damage, broken bones and lifelong pain. Most think that jumping will lead to an instant death but, for many, death is not instant.

The suicides and safety risks prompted the construction of a barrier in 2003, though it was first approved by Toronto City Council in 1998, and delayed because of concerns about funding. During that time, the viaduct was the site of an estimated 48 to 60 suicides. The council originally approved a budget. However, the minimum bid for construction was . Construction was completed in 2003 at the cost of , with coming from taxpayers.

The barrier was called the Luminous Veil. The tensile structure was difficult to analyze and required several tests at the University of Toronto. Initially, cost prohibited the planned lighting to be installed on the top horizontal member. The lighting installation was completed in July 2015. The Luminous Veil was the recipient of a 1999 Canadian Architect Award of Excellence.

A 2010 study found that though the barrier prevented suicide attempts from the viaduct, overall rates of suicide by jumping for the City of Toronto have not changed since its construction. However, a 2017 study with the same lead author found that "over the long term, suicide-by-jumping declined in Toronto after the barrier with no associated increase in suicide by other means". Writer Joe Fiorito wrote about the Luminous Veil in his contribution to the 2013 Canadian anthology "The Stories That Are Great Within Us", edited by Barry Callaghan in which he noted "We jump elsewhere now."

Popular culture

The bridge was shut down for three days to allow the filming of Resident Evil: Apocalypse (2004), where in the film it represented the only way out of Raccoon City.

The Luminous Veil is referenced in the Barenaked Ladies song "War on Drugs".

The 1987 novel In the Skin of a Lion, by Canadian–Sri Lankan writer Michael Ondaatje, fictionalizes the lives of immigrants who played a large role in building the city of Toronto in the early 1900s, including prominently the Prince Edward Viaduct.

References

References

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4. (January 2, 1913). "Toronto Prepares For A Million People, Carries All Bylaws, Bloor Street Viaduct Will Be Built". Toronto World.
5. James Bow. (2013-07-07). "The Bloor Streetcar (Deceased)". [[Transit Toronto]].
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14. "Archived copy".
15. Designed by architect Dereck Revington and engineers at Halcrow Yolles, and completed in 2003, the Luminous Veil consists of over 9,000 steel rods, {{cvt. 12.7. cm. apart and {{convert. 5. m. link. (December 14, 2006)
16. [http://metronews.ca/news/toronto/1405112/bloor-viaducts-luminous-veil-to-light-up-for-pan-am-torch-relay/ Bloor Viaduct’s ‘luminous veil’ to light up for Pan Am torch relay]
17. (August 2001). "Suicide prevention barrier". Business Information Group.
18. [http://www.modernmedicine.com/modern-medicine/news/modernmedicine/modern-medicine-news/bridge-barrier-fails-lower-torontos-suicide Bridge Barrier Fails to Lower Toronto's Suicide Rate: Suicide-by-jumping rate at Bloor Street Viaduct lower; rates at other bridges higher], HealthDay News, July 7, 2010. Retrieved from ModernMedicine.com's website, July 2, 2013.
19. [https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/5/e015299.long Did the suicide barrier work after all? Revisiting the Bloor Viaduct natural experiment and its impact on suicide rates in Toronto], BMJ Open, June 19, 2017. Retrieved from BMJ Open, October 10, 2019.
20. Fiorito, Joe. (2013). "Jump Elsewhere Now".
21. (2004). "Building Raccoon City". Sony Entertainment.