The Old Finch Avenue bridge is a Bailey bridge in Toronto. The Finch bridge is used for limited vehicular traffic on Old Finch Avenue in north-east Toronto to cross the Rouge River. The bridge dates back to late October 1954; it was constructed by the army in three working days (including the timber piles supporting in mid-stream) using bridge components from Ontario Hydro, after Hurricane Hazel destroyed the old one. This bridge was built for single traffic, it is now controlled by traffic lights.
The bridge is considered an historic landmark in Toronto, where the City of Scarborough council has erected a plaque beside the bridge which reads:
- BAILEY BRIDGE CONSTRUCTION 2ND FIELD ENGINEER REGIMENT
- On October 15, 1954, Hurricane Hazel struck the Scarborough area with terrifying force, severely damaging or completely washing out several bridges. To maintain a safe flow of traffic throughout the Municipality, a number of Bailey Bridges were erected by the 2nd Field Engineer Regiment of the Canadian Military Engineers. This bridge is the last of those remaining in service in Scarborough. This plaque serves to commemorate the efforts of the 2nd Field Engineer Regiment in meeting this natural disaster.
There are two other bailey bridges in the Greater Toronto Area:
- Lake Shore Boulevard Bailey Bridge in Toronto
- Old (16th Avenue) Bailey Bridge in Markham (16th Avenue east of Reesor Road)
Famous quotes containing the words finch, avenue, bailey and/or bridge:
“By the flow of the inland river,
Whence the fleets of iron have fled,
Where the blades of the grave-grass quiver,
Asleep are the ranks of the dead:—”
—Francis Miles Finch (1827–1907)
“Only in America ... do these peasants, our mothers, get their hair dyed platinum at the age of sixty, and walk up and down Collins Avenue in Florida in pedalpushers and mink stoles—and with opinions on every subject under the sun. It isn’t their fault they were given a gift like speech—look, if cows could talk, they would say things just as idiotic.”
—Philip Roth (b. 1933)
“It takes a lot of imagination to be a good photographer. You need less imagination to be a painter, because you can invent things. But in photography everything is so ordinary; it takes a lot of looking before you learn to see the ordinary.”
—David Bailey (b. 1938)
“London Bridge is broken down,
Dance o’er my lady lee,
London Bridge is broken down,
With a gay lady.
How shall we build it up again?
Dance o’er my lady lee,”
—Unknown. London Bridge (l. 1–6)