Rebuilding the Bathurst Street Bridge

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Rebuilding the Bathurst Street Bridge by Stephen Otto Since our founding in 1994, the Friends of Fort York have always made a priority of long term planning for the lands within and around the Fort York National Historic Site. Thus it was when, after much study and discussion, Fort York: Setting It Right was published in June, 2000, it identified the pathway connections under Bathurst Street as important for city-building and for linking the fort to the east side of Bathurst, where the former Garrison Creek once entered Lake Ontario. Again a year later, the wide, cathedral-like area under the Bathurst Bridge was seen as a vital link in the landmark report, Fort York and Garrison Common Parks and Open Space Plan, prepared for the City’s Policy & Development, Planning and Culture divisions, with input from the Friends. Both reports were warmly received and endorsed by City Council. Finally, the continuity of the historic site under the bridge was recognized by the Government of Canada in designating the bounds of Fort York in 2003, and by Toronto City Council in 2004 in passing a bylaw enlarging the boundaries of the municipal Heritage District at Fort York to coincide with those of the national site.

future pedestrian and cycling paths below the bridge might be neither pleasant nor secure. While the Friends would prefer bus service on Fort York Blvd. because it would better serve visitors to the fort and not require rebuilding either the intersection or bridge, we reckoned our modest resources were better spent where our interests are vital, rather than in trying to reverse the Official Plan or the TTC’s preference for streetcars. Hence, we chose to concentrate on (1) protecting the significant archaeological resources under and adjacent to the bridge; (2) ensuring good sightlines and generous headroom there for safe passage by pedestrians and cyclists; and (3) requiring excellence in the design of any new bridge, since it will lie almost entirely within the National Historic Site and municipal Heritage Conservation District. The headroom issue goes to the heart of whether or not pedestrians’ interests are taken seriously by the City. Travel surveys it undertook in 2001 among residents of the Kings and Waterfront neighbourhoods showed a remarkable 4445% of them walked to work in the downtown while only 3233% took transit and 2% used a bicycle. Transit and private cars came into their own when people had to travel further afield. The Friends believe a large proportion of the 7500 residents projected to live in the Fort York Neighbourhood will choose to walk to destinations in the city core. Moreover, for many years yet the only primary schools serving the area will be east of Bathurst Street and children walking to school may use the underpass to avoid crossing at grade. Both foot-commuters and kids deserve their walks to be safe and pleasant experiences.

recommended by the Council-appointed Roundtable on a Beautiful City, required the proposed design of the new bridge to be reviewed by a three person panel including the Chief Planner and the Administrator of Fort York for appropriateness to its historic location, suitable aesthetic considerations, and the degree to which it enhances pedestrian and bicycle connections. The second motion the Committee adopted was based on a request from the city’s Pedestrian Committee. It directed senior City and TTC staff to consult with the Friends of Fort York and others throughout the design process to examine all possible ways to maximize vertical clearance under the bridge and, in addition, to create a safe, functional and attractive environment for pedestrians and cyclists. We’ll keep you posted as plans for the new bridge become clearer.

For thousands of years, rain and melting snow has run off the sandy drift. At first, heavy storms would have created roaring torrents that cut quickly and deeply into the soil because there was no vegetation to retard the flow. Recent history suggests that a storm of the intensity of Hurricane Hazel can be expected in this area once every hundred years. Thus, 120 storms of Hurricane Hazel’s intensity may have occurred during the past 12,000 years. Each one would have deepened and widened the stream valleys until they reached the form we see today in Trinity Bellwoods Park and along streets such as Springmount Ave. north of Regal Road. St. Clair During those 12,000 years, vegetation slowly re-established. Taddle Eventually, forests of pine, oak, and t. locust covered the area. Aboriginal S n peoples hunted in the area and ri traveled on the beach trail, now e ff Davenport Road. In the 1800’s, land u D was cleared for farms and estates like Bloor St. “Earlscourt” (built originally for the Hon. John Ross), the Blake family’s “Humewood” and Bartholomew Bull’s farm. With settlement, and later with the subdivision of estates and farms, the creek began to suffer. Garrison By the late 19th century, it had became so polluted with sewage and Queen St. refuse that for public health reasons parts of it were put in sewers. By King St. the mid 1920’s the creek had been completely buried.

Citizen groups and municipal councils have taken increased interest in the history of the creeks, rivers and sewers and possible means of reducing sewer overflows. In 1997, citizens in the St. Clair West area collected old maps and involved City planners, landscape architects, a civil engineer, a forester and others, to find traces of the old creek valleys in the headwater areas north of Dupont Street. As a result, new mapping was prepared showing that the east branch rose near the present site of Humewood School and the west branch rose in a CFB shallow bowl of land south-east of the intersection of Earlscourt and Morrison Avenues. Ave.

Now the creek exists in new forms. A large part of the rain and snow that falls in the watershed drains off roofs and pavements into sewers and can be heard rushing along Adapted under the roads after a storm. But, because many sewers carry sanitary sewage as well as storm water, what we hear in dry weather is basically the flow of sanitary sewage from our homes. Any rain or snow that does not enter the sewers either evaporates into the air or percolates into gardens and green spaces to become part of the great ground water system that moves slowly beneath the city toward Lake Ontario.

Groups have formed to focus public attention on heritage, storm water, community planning and urban design Creek implications arising from an increased understanding of Toronto’s watercourses and “lost” creeks. Communities along the route of the creek are enhancing public understanding of the creek valley’s place in our bio-region. Some t. are working to create stormwater S t management ponds that will recall the s r u original creek; to restore buried bridges; h t to find ways of encouraging the public a B to enjoy greater use of the ravine system; and to plant trees and gardens along the Creek course of the creek. The Garrison Creek Steering Committee advises City Council on heritage and planning matters related to Garrison Creek. In 1997, City Council approved the Garrison Creek Linkage Project Status Report to provide guidance for developing and Toronto Bay implementing initiatives for revitalizing the Garrison Creek area. Also, Toronto from <lostrivers.ca> Parks, Forestry and Recreation have produced the Garrison Creek “Discovery Walk” which traces the path of the buried Garrison Creek and explores parklands, neighbourhoods and streets along the way. See <www.toronto. ca/parks/index.htm>.

New interest in Garrison Creek arose in the 1980’s and 90’s when it became clear that the combined storm and sanitary sewers constructed beginning in the late 1800’s were too small to properly serve modern development. During heavy storms, the combined effluent overloaded the sewers and treatment plants. Frequently raw sewage flowed untreated into the lake. Beaches became polluted and swimming had to be stopped after rainstorms. Recently, however, huge underground reservoirs have been constructed to temporarily retain sewer water until it can be let it out slowly to sewage treatment facilities. Visit our website

A more recent development that furthers revitalization of the creek area is the creation of a park where Garrison Creek originally entered Lake Ontario. As yet unnamed, this park is part of the Fort York National Historic Site and will be connected to Fort York under the Bathurst Street bridge. Over the next few years it will be developed as part of a large Toronto Community Housing project on the east side of Bathurst. Worth noting is that it will lead to a linear park running along the south side of the main rail corridor as far as York Street that will provide a safe, off-road pedestrian and bicycle path into the downtown. at www.fortyork.ca 3 The Fife and Drum