Sheppard Avenue Bridge

Sheppard Avenue Bridge
File:Sheppard Avenue Bridge.jpg
Carries	4 lanes of Sheppard Avenue West
Crosses	West Don River
Locale	North York, Canada
Characteristics
Design	Under deck truss bridge
Clearance below	Don River Valley
History
Opened	1954 (br> 2007 (after repairs made due to watermain break)
Closed	2006
Statistics
Toll	No

Sheppard Avenue Bridge is an under deck Truss bridge that spans the Don River on Sheppard Avenue West, just east of Bathurst Street. Built in 1954, the bridge has a scenic view of the West Don River and Earl Bales Park. The current bridge replaced an old concrete bridge that was damaged during Hurricane Hazel and required cars to descend down the valley.

The upper deck carries four lanes of traffic. There is a water main in the steel sub-structure.

In April 2006, a small section of the road collapsed due to a break in the 50-year-old water main carried below. The bridge was out of commission for three weeks.

The bridge is the last major bridge to span the West Don River is diverted under most roads north of Sheppard with metal or concrete culverts. Several smaller concrete bridges traverse over the East Don River (with one larger bridge on Eglinton Avenue near the DVP) northwards towards city limits at Steeles Avenue.