afransen
Senior Member
Any flooding in the lower Donlands with this weekend's heavy rainfall? It was heavier around the west end.
Richard White
Senior Member
None that I know of near Bayview and Front. I manage a Condominium near there and didn't get any panicked calls.
Northern Light
Superstar
None was noted in the various reports I perused......
Here's a list of affected areas on Saturday from CBC:
As one can see above, there were localized issues in the Don Valley, but north of Queen; otherwise the most affected areas appear to have been in Mississauga in the north west regions of Toronto.
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Superstar
Eastern Avenue Bridge Demolition
Richard White
Senior Member
The Condo I currently manage is one of the ones located in that image.
We were approached by the City of Toronto recently (as were other neighboring buildings) to do a building survey. They wanted to ensure any work being done would not damage the parking garages or structure of other buildings in the area.
As of today the work is hardly noticeable but I expect that to change soon.
UtakataNoAnnex
Senior Member
So after a billion years of being left to rot they're finally toasting it...
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Superstar
Not quite billions of years but here it is in 1901- according to City Archives this is the Eastern Avenue Bridge BUT, from the geography this looks more like the King Street Bridge to me!. Wikipedia seems to think the Eastern Avenue bridge was built in 1933
The Old Eastern Avenue Bridge (also known erroneously as the King Street Bridge) consists of two bridges spanning the Don River in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The north bridge or Gas Line Bridge is a concrete arch bridge built for Consumer's Gas Company and is used by Enbridge Gas to carry a major gas main. The southern Howe truss bridge, similar to Queen Street Viaduct and Sir Isaac Brock Bridge, previously carried traffic on Eastern Avenue but is currently unused.
Based on https://historicbridges.org/bridges/browser/?bridgebrowser=ontario/easternavenue/#photosvideos I think the bridge photographed below is NOT what is being demolished, this definitely seems to have been built in 1933 because the 1899 one had been damaged by ice in the winter of 1932/33
"This bridge was built in 1933 and is a rare example of a highway Baltimore truss bridge, and an even more rare example of a truss bridge with three truss lines in Canada. The use of a three truss line design allowed for a wider roadway. The third truss line, positioned in the center of the roadway, divides the bridge roadway into two halves. This bridge was reportedly built for $70,864.07. The bridge was abandoned in 1964 when the Don Valley Parkway's construction cut the road off. A new Eastern Avenue Bridge that was compatible with the Don Valley Parkway was constructed some distance to the north of this bridge."
Fellow history geeks may also enjoy https://scenesto.com/tag/old-eastern-avenue-bridge/
Here it is being built in 1899.
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hawc
Senior Member
Bridge looked like it was DOWN when I drove by late last night.
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Superstar
It is supposed to be down (but still closed). Ports Toronto website says:
Current Status: Ship Channel Bridge (Cherry Street Bridge) is closed to vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian traffic.
Here is the planned schedule.
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Superstar
I asked WT if they are also going to remove the ENBRIDGE GAS BRIDGE when they remove the Old Eastern Avenue Bridge immediately south of it. Their response ....That bridge is owned by Enbridge Gas and they will be removing it on their own.
It looked like this in 1989/1990 and has not changed much since
It looked like this in 1989/1990 and has not changed much since
Vminkov
Active Member
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Superstar
Looks like the just demolished Lever soap factory's office block.
everydayhim
Active Member
Seen from above
jaybe
Active Member
At the risk of bringing this thread back to where it was one month+ ago, I am in Hamburg and have spent the last couple of days walking. I’m beside Hafen City and I’m overwhelmed at the similarities between the space here and what is planned for the Lower Don Lands.
One month ago there was much discussion on this thread about design, transit, density and building height. Hafen City https://www.hamburg.com/residents/neighbourhoods/hafencity-17118 may be a worthwhile comparison. There may be lessons learned in Hamburg that could apply to Toronto as they are 10-15 years ahead in delivering on their plans. Following are a couple of photos of the area.
The buildings are tightly placed together with most at a height of 9 stories from the street. There are taller sections that are typically set back. Streets are tight ,some are primarily pedestrian but they’ve designed the area to be accessible with busier, wider roads. The area is served by rapid transit. The canals and river are similar to the Don, Keating Channel and the Ship Channel. There are some older buildings on the one side of the area, but otherwise it is new development.
I’m a quiet follower on this site with no formal education or work experience related to urban planning. I’m throwing this out as it seems relevant and HafenCity has not been raised on this thread before.
One month ago there was much discussion on this thread about design, transit, density and building height. Hafen City https://www.hamburg.com/residents/neighbourhoods/hafencity-17118 may be a worthwhile comparison. There may be lessons learned in Hamburg that could apply to Toronto as they are 10-15 years ahead in delivering on their plans. Following are a couple of photos of the area.
The buildings are tightly placed together with most at a height of 9 stories from the street. There are taller sections that are typically set back. Streets are tight ,some are primarily pedestrian but they’ve designed the area to be accessible with busier, wider roads. The area is served by rapid transit. The canals and river are similar to the Don, Keating Channel and the Ship Channel. There are some older buildings on the one side of the area, but otherwise it is new development.
I’m a quiet follower on this site with no formal education or work experience related to urban planning. I’m throwing this out as it seems relevant and HafenCity has not been raised on this thread before.
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AlvinofDiaspar
Moderator
Wonderful photos! Actually it has - for years even before this particular project is a glimmer in our eyes:
Hafencity and Harbourfront
Recently I was in Hamburg and took a stroll through the beginnings of their massive waterfront redevelopment, Hafencity. I'm always willing to believe the best of developments before I go and see them myself, but from the bits of Hafencity I saw I was very unimpressed and it makes me wonder what...
Lower Don Lands Redevelopment | ?m | ?s | Waterfront Toronto
There was quite a difference even between 7:30 am and 4:30 pm today (let's see if this animated GIF works...) Keep an eye on the north side of the bridge too.
One of the most amazing thing about Hafencity is that it is designed with flooding and climate change in mind. Having said that I think Hafencity is lower density than what's proposed for Villiers - there are barely any real highrises in the former (and I believe one of the few - Elbtower - is currently under receivership)
AoD
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