View source for Prince Edward Viaduct

{{Infobox bridge
|bridge_name= Prince Edward Viaduct
|image= Prince Edward Viaduct.jpg
|caption=
|official_name=
|also_known_as= Bloor Street Viaduct
|carries= Upper: 5 vehicle lanes and 2 bicycle lanes of [[Bloor Street|Bloor Street East]] / [[Danforth Avenue]]<br />Lower: 2 tracks {{rint|toronto|2}} of the [[Toronto subway]]
|crosses= [[Don River (Ontario)|Don River]]
|locale= [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada
|maint= [[Toronto Transportation Services]], [[Toronto Transit Commission]]
|id=
|design=Double-decked [[arch bridge]]
|designer = Thomas Taylor<ref name="historicbridges.org">{{cite web | url=https://historicbridges.org/b_a_list.php?ct=&c=&ptype=county&pname=Toronto+City,+Ontario | title=Historic Bridges: Toronto City, Ontario }}</ref>
|builder = Hamilton Bridge Company<ref name="historicbridges.org">{{cite web | url=https://historicbridges.org/b_a_list.php?ct=&c=&ptype=county&pname=Toronto+City,+Ontario | title=Historic Bridges: Toronto City, Ontario }}</ref>
|mainspan=
|length= 494 metres (1,620 feet)
|width=
|clearance=
|below= 40 metres (131 feet)
|traffic=
|open= October 18, 1918<ref>{{Cite journal |doi = 10.1139/l84-105|title = Into the twentieth century — Two Toronto bridges|journal = Canadian Journal of Civil Engineering|volume = 11|issue = 4|pages = 875–883|year = 1984|last1 = Rose|first1 = Phyllis}}</ref>
|closed=
|toll=
|map_cue=
|map_image=
|map_text=
|map_width=
|coordinates= {{Coord|43|40|31|N|79|21|50|W|type:landmark_region:CA-ON|display=inline,title}}
|lat=
|long=
}}
The '''Prince Edward Viaduct System''', commonly referred to as the '''Bloor Viaduct''', is the name of a [[truss arch bridge]] system in [[Toronto]], Ontario, Canada, connecting [[Bloor Street]] East, on the west side of the system, with [[Danforth Avenue]] on the east. The system includes the [[Castle Frank Brook|Rosedale Valley]] phase (a smaller structure, referred to as the Rosedale Valley Bridge, carrying Bloor Street over the [[Rosedale, Toronto|Rosedale]] Ravine) and the Sherbourne Phase, an [[Embankment (transportation)|embankment]] built to extend Bloor Street East to the Rosedale Ravine from [[Sherbourne Street, Toronto|Sherbourne Street]]. The Don Valley phase of the system, the most recognizable, spans the [[Don River (Ontario)|Don River Valley]], crossing over (from west to east), [[Bayview Avenue]], the Don River, and the [[Don Valley Parkway]].

The roadway has five lanes (three eastbound and two westbound) with a bicycle lane in each direction.<ref>[https://www.flickr.com/photos/chuckkahn/42778110/ Photo of westbound traffic], Flickr</ref> The [[Toronto subway|subway]] level connects [[Broadview station]] in the east with {{stl|TTC|Castle Frank}} and {{stl|TTC|Sherbourne}} stations to the west.

==History==
[[File:Construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct -a.jpg|thumb|Construction of the Prince Edward Viaduct in 1915]]
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.<ref>{{cite news|work=Toronto World|title=Toronto Prepares For A Million People, Carries All Bylaws, Bloor Street Viaduct Will Be Built|date=January 2, 1913|page=1}}</ref> The projected cost of its construction increased from {{CAD|759,000}} in 1910 to {{CAD|2.5 million}} in 1913; its final cost was {{CAD|2,480,349.05}} (${{formatprice|{{Inflation|CA|2480349.05|1918}}}} in {{Inflation-year|CA}} dollars{{inflation-fn|CA}}). 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 transport|public transit]]: Its upper deck originally carried the [[Bloor streetcar line]],<ref name=streetcars>{{cite news |url = http://transit.toronto.on.ca/streetcar/4115.shtml| title = The Bloor Streetcar (Deceased)| publisher = [[Transit Toronto]]| author = James Bow| date = 2013-07-07| archive-url  = https://web.archive.org/web/20131209202820/http://transit.toronto.on.ca/streetcar/4115.shtml| archive-date = 2013-12-09| access-date  = 2014-02-17| url-status = live}}</ref> 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 Water Treatment Plant#Roland Caldwell Harris|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 [[Line 2 Bloor–Danforth|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).<ref name=streetcars/> The Rosedale Valley span was not used for the subway, as the southward dip of Bloor between the spans at [[Parliament Street (Toronto)|Parliament Street]] resulted in curves considered too sharp for the subway. For this reason, [[Rosedale Valley Bridge|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 Burke (architect)|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]].<ref>[http://spacing.ca/toronto/2010/04/09/building-storeys-the-canada-linseed-oil-mills-buildings-sorauren-park/ Building Storeys — The Canada Linseed Oil Mills buildings & Sorauren Park], Spacing Toronto</ref>

In addition to the [[Don River (Ontario)|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<span class="anchor" id="LV"></span>===
Over time, the Prince Edward Viaduct became a [[Suicide bridge|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]].<ref name=Suicide>{{cite news |url=http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-01-30-goldengate-suicides_x.htm |title=Suicides tarnish the Golden Gate |work=usatoday30.usatoday.com |date=January 31, 2005 |publisher=[[Gannett Company|Gannett]] |location=[[Tysons Corner, Virginia|Tysons Corner, VA]] |issn=0734-7456 |quote=North America's No. 2 suicide draw, Toronto's Prince Edward Viaduct, built a multimillion-dollar barrier in 2003 after more than 400 suicides. |access-date=March 16, 2014 |first=John |last=Ritter |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317022157/http://usatoday30.usatoday.com/news/nation/2005-01-30-goldengate-suicides_x.htm |archive-date=March 17, 2014 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.baltimoresun.com/2003/01/13/a-barrier-to-hopeless-souls/ |title=A barrier to hopeless souls |work=[[The Baltimore Sun]] |date=January 13, 2003 |publisher=[[Tribune Company]] |location=[[Baltimore|Baltimore, Maryland]] |issn=1930-8965 |quote="We look at this bridge and know there are at least 480 souls at the bottom who spent the last moment of their life on the way down. This is where they spent their last day before they went to eternity" says Al Birney |access-date=March 16, 2014 |first=John |last=Rivera |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317021848/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/2003-01-13/news/0301130268_1_viaduct-birney-bridge |archive-date=March 17, 2014 |url-status=live |page=1 }}</ref> At its peak in 1997, the suicide rate averaged one person every 22 days.{{Citation needed|date=July 2010}} In 1957, a child also climbed onto the railing and fell accidentally while walking along it but survived.<ref>{{cite news|title=Tumbles From Viaduct, Boy Hits Mud, Unhurt|newspaper=Globe and Mail|date=June 3, 1957|page=1}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Bondi |first=OnScene |date=2024-01-26 |title=The other side of suicide |url=https://www.onscenebondi.com.au/312-the-other-side-of-suicide |access-date=2024-03-11 |website=OnScene ACT |language=en-gb}}</ref>

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.<ref name=ohpe>[http://www.ohpe.ca/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=214&Itemid=78 Mental Health Promotion: Overcoming the challenges to 'focusing upstream'], Ontario Health Promotion E-Bulletin</ref><ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20120819032644/http://www.ctvnews.ca/do-barriers-around-bridges-prevent-suicides-1.529932 Do barriers around bridges prevent suicides?], CTV News</ref><ref>[http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2003-05-08/news_insight.php NOW: Where spirits live, May 8 - 14, 2003]  {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061214052645/http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2003-05-08/news_insight.php |date=December 14, 2006 }}</ref> The council originally approved a {{CAD|2.5 million}} budget. However, the minimum bid for construction was {{CAD|5.5 million}}.<ref name=ohpe /> Council eventually endorsed a fundraising campaign to raise the remainder of the money.<ref name=newsletter>{{cite web |url=http://www.eopa.ca/newsletters/DialogueNL.June2001.pdf |title=Archived copy |access-date=2014-07-18 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090731082137/http://www.eopa.ca/newsletters/DialogueNL.June2001.pdf |archive-date=2009-07-31 }}</ref> Construction was completed in 2003 at the cost of {{CAD|5.5 million}}, with {{CAD|2.5 million}} coming from taxpayers.<ref name=newsletter />
[[File:PrinceEdwardViaduct 2005-10-01.jpeg|thumb|The Luminous Veil in 2005, shortly after its construction]]
The barrier was called the ''Luminous Veil''.<ref name=Suicide /> 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|spell=in||}} high, stretched to cantilevered girders.<ref name=nowtoronto>[http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2003-05-08/news_insight.php NOW: Where spirits live, May 8 - 14, 2003] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061214052645/http://www.nowtoronto.com/issues/2003-05-08/news_insight.php |date=December 14, 2006 }}</ref> 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.<ref>[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]</ref> The Luminous Veil received in 1999 a Canadian Architect Award of Excellence.<ref>{{cite journal |date=August 2001 |title=Suicide prevention barrier |url=http://www.cdnarchitect.com/issues/ISarticle.asp?id=70662&story_id=CA99959&issue=08012001&PC=&RType= |url-status=dead |journal=Canadian Architect |publisher=Business Information Group |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061022012732/http://www.cdnarchitect.com/issues/ISarticle.asp?id=70662&story_id=CA99959&issue=08012001&PC=&RType= |archive-date=October 22, 2006 |access-date=March 16, 2014 }}</ref>

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.<ref>[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.</ref> 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".<ref>[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.</ref> 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."<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fiorito |first=Joe |author-link=Joe Fiorito |date=2013 |title=Jump Elsewhere Now |url=https://www.geist.com/findings/jump-elsewhere-now |access-date=October 5, 2025 |website=[[Geist (magazine)|Geist]]}}</ref>

==Popular culture==
The bridge was shut down for three days to allow the filming of ''[[Resident Evil: Apocalypse#Filming|Resident Evil: Apocalypse]]'' (2004), where in the film it represented the only way out of [[Raccoon City]].<ref name=building>{{cite video| people=Jeremy Bolt, Dan Carmody | title=Building Raccoon City| medium=Resident Evil: Apocalypse, DVD featurette| publisher= Sony Entertainment| date= 2004}}</ref>

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.

==See also==
* [[Royal eponyms in Canada]]
* [[Suicide bridge]]
* [[List of bridges in Canada]]

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category-inline|Prince Edward Viaduct}}

{{Bridges in Toronto}}
{{Crossings navbox
|structure       = Bridges
|place           = [[Don River (Ontario)]]
|bridge          = Prince Edward Viaduct
|bridge signs    =
|upstream        = [[Leaside Bridge]]
|upstream signs  =
|downstream      = [[Gerrard Street (Toronto)#Gerrard Street Bridge|Gerrard Street Bridge]]
|downstream signs =
}}
{{Toronto landmarks}}

[[Category:Railway bridges in Ontario]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1918]]
[[Category:Bridges completed in 1966]]
[[Category:Bridges in Toronto]]
[[Category:Don River (Ontario)]]
[[Category:Double-decker bridges]]
[[Category:Road-rail bridges in Canada]]
[[Category:Viaducts in Canada]]
[[Category:Truss arch bridges in Canada]]
[[Category:Concrete bridges in Canada]]
[[Category:Road bridges in Ontario]]
[[Category:Public art in Toronto]]
[[Category:Suicide prevention]]