Old bridge: 1915 - 2017. This audio clip is circa 2007.
W. B. Burgoyne was the editor of the St. Catharines Standard newspaper. He saw residents travelling back and forth between the downtown and the train station via the steep and treacherous hills on St. Paul Street West and he began to envision a viaduct across Twelve Mile Creek. There was public skepticisim about the construction, but the project commenced anyway.
The bridge opened December 18, 1915 and to honour the man who conceived the idea, the city named it the Burgoyne Bridge.
The prominent steel span of the Burgoyne Bridge has been a St. Catharines landmark since its official opening in 1915. Prior to that time, crossing the Twelve Mile Creek meant negotiating the steep slopes of the creekbed and negotiating the wooden span of the St. Paul Street Swing Bridge, also called the Low Level Bridge. This steep and ardurous route was challenging enough for pedestrians, but very difficult indeed for horse-drawn carts, especially in the winter. Improving the crossing of Twelve Mile Creek was a top municipal priority at the turn of the 20th century. Access from the downtown core to the all-important Grand Trunk Railway Station west of the city was compromised by the the steep banks on either side of the creek. These poor road transportation links also limited the city's expansion to the west.
In the 1870s there were frequent requests to build a bridge over the canal to help improve access to the railway station, which was located on the southwest side of 12 Mile Creek. As a result, two major bridges were created- the Glen Ridge (now Glenridge) Bridge and Burgoyne Bridge. The bridge is named after William B. Burgoyne, a mayor, councillor, editor of the St. Catharines Standard and advocate for better transportation cross 12 Mile Creek. Burgoyne noticed that the most popular way to get to the train station was to travel down a very steep hill to reach a smaller, unstable bridge. This trek was dangerous enough during the summer months, but when the weather turned icy this route was extremely treacherous. Not only did the bridge allow better access across the Creek, it also allowed for the development of homes in the south end of the city. A bridge at the current location of the Burgoyne Bridge was consistently delayed due to various issues (political, alternative ideas, etc.) but once it was eventually built, its importance was quickly noted. Over time the Burgoyne Bridge has gone through maintenance as would be expected with a structure of this size and importance.
William Bartlett Burgoyne was the influential editor of the St. Catharines Standard newspaper, as well as a successful St. Catharines businessman, city councillor and three-times Mayor of St. Catharines. In the early years of the 20th century, he regularly saw residents struggling up and down the hills on their way to and from the Grand Trunk train station, newly rebuilt in 1898 but inconveniently located on the western edge of the city. He envisioned a viaduct across 12 Mile Creek to improve access to the station, and promoted the concept in his editorials and with city officials. There was public skepticisim about the project, but construction began in early 1914. It opened after 11 months of construction at a cost of $155,000 which was $18,000 under budget.
The seven-span steel girder bridge, designed by Sprague and Reppert of Pittsburgh and constructed by the Canadian Bridge Company of Walkerville, was an impressive engineering achievement. The 377 metre long structure had a nine-metre wide roadbed and two sidewalks, and originally contained two sets of inlaid streetcar tracks. Its construction necessitated the straightening and realignment of the western end of St. Paul Street to accommodate the flow of traffic. Unfortunately, it also necessitated the demolition of several important buildings, including a stately private residence, the General and Marine Hospital on Cherry Street, and a training school for nurses.
From a vantage point at the centre of the Burgoyne Bridge, you can visually retrace the curving sweep of the original St. Paul Street road allowance, barely visible on the bank of the creek on the downtown side. The redundant section of St. Paul Street in the valley below was re-named St. Paul Crescent. Just upstream from the original Low Level Bridge crossing, Dick's Creek emptied into the waters of the Twelve, and formed the trajectory of the original Welland Canal until 1887. The wooden Low Level swing bridge was no longer needed, and was later replaced by the present fixed steel span, which is now for pedestrian and cyclist use only. The route that the road originally followed across Twelve Mile Creek and up the hill was bisected by road realignments and the extension of Highway 406.
The old Burgoyne Bridge officially opened for all traffic in December 1915, but had been operational for pedestrian foot traffic to travel across a few weeks prior. Since 1915 the bridge has been repainted, resurfaced and repaired multiple times.
The Burgoyne Bridge has survived surprisingly well over the years, despite predictions in 1975 that it would have to be completely replaced by the mid-1980s. Periodic inspections and maintenance have extended its lifespan considerably. Though costly, these repairs are much less expensive than replacing the entire structure. The bridge deck was replaced in 1962 at a cost of $110,000. Structural repairs totalling more than $300,000 were made in 1975 and 1979, and a three million dollar overhaul was undertaken in 1989, which included the installation of new shielding to protect pedestrians from being sprayed with slush and road salt from passing traffic when crossing the narrow span in winter. In 2007, further deck repairs and painting were approved by Niagara Region at an estimated cost of six million dollars.
The old Burgoyne Bridge continued to serve the community until it was demolished between 2014 and 2017.
The original steel span of the first Burgoyne Bridge (opened 1915) was demolished between 2014 and 2017 and replaced by the current structure.
This bridge and many others like it have been chronicled on the Historic Bridges website,www.historicbridges.org .
The new Burgoyne Bridge (also known as the St. Paul Street Bridge) connects St. Paul Street over 12 Mile Creek and Highway 406.
Between 2014-2017 the Burgoyne Bridge was under construction to add landmark- like qualities to the pre-existing structure and to add strength to the bridge. The renovated Burgoyne Bridge won the 2017 CIS/ICCA award for "Best Steel Bridge Design".
References
Jackson, J. N., & Wilson, S. M. (1992). St. Catharines : Canada's canal city. St. Catharines, Ont. : St. Catharines Standard, 1992.
Niagara Green Belt (2012). Burgoyne bridge. Retrieved from http://www.niagaragreenbelt.com/listings/16-bridge... bridge.html
St. Catharines Public Library, (n.d.). The Burgoyne bridge: the final years of the Burgoyne bridge. Retrieved from http://bmd.stcatharines.library.on.ca/en/433/Exhib...
Municipality: St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada
Local area name: Burgoyne Bridge
Other identifying names or descriptions: St. Paul Street Bridge, Big White Bridge
Latitude and longitude: 49.09.09N 79.14.49 W
Physical Dimensions
Length: 395m (1,296ft)
Width: 10m (34ft)
Surface Area:
Elevation: 25m (82ft)
Highest / lowest point
The Burgoyne Bridge isl located in the Niagara Region in Southern Ontario, in the municipality of St. Catharines. The bridge is located on St. Paul Street West/Regional Road 81 and is primarily used to travel safely over the 12 Mile Creek. The completion of the original bridge in 1915 allowed for easier access to the west St. Catharines Business District as well as increase the property development south of the city. The Burgoyne Bridge was a modern engineering achievement in tis day, built out of steel, as opposed to other bridges (e.g., the stone Glenridge Bridge) located nearby.
Images courtesy of Brown, Middleton & Vaughan, (2010)
Map 1: Burgoyne Bridge
It can be presumed, as is common with many bridges, many species of bird and small mammal live within the spans of the bridge. These include owls, and other small birds. As is expected with urbanization, there are often radical changes to the natural wildlife in the changing areas (Hough, 2004, p. 133). Since the Burgoyne Bridge was built in 1915, there have been lots of developments and as a result many species, both animal and plant, have become more at risk. During the recent 2014 renovations many animals were disturbed from their local habitats.
Some at risk species in the region include (12 Mile Creek 2012 Watershed Report card, 2012):
-Birds: Barn Owl & Yellow-breasted Chat
-Fish: American Eel & Redside Dace
Mammals: Grey Fox
Plants: Butternut & Eastern Flowering Dogwood
Reptiles: Eastern Milksnake
The soil which the Burgoyne Bridge is built on and around the 12 Mile Creek is broken down as follows, 0.5% upland escarpment, 34% developed areas, 26% mixed clay and loam, 4.5% mixed sand and loam, 30% mixed silt and loam, 0.1% organic soils, and 4.5% water (12 Mile Creek 2012 Watershed Report card, 2012). This mixture of soil ended up causing delays during the renovations due to the unpredictability of the soil mixture. This report was issue in 2012, so since then there have been slight alterations to the soil composition.
The most important body of water close to the Burgoyne Bridge is the 12 Mile Creek. The 12 Mile Creek is approximately 19km in length and is important historically to the city of St. Catharines. Due to the Creek being altered due to human involvement, specifically changing the natural flow in order to accommodate for city development, the hydrologic cycle and water flow is impeded (Alberti, 2008, p. 134). The 12 Mile creek delivers water between Lake Ontario and the city, so by altering the water flow both humans and wildlife are effected. The natural erosion over time has also helped reduce size of the the 12 Mile Creek.
The following images show how the 12 Mile Creek flow pattern has been altered throughout the years.
St. Catharines has a unique microclimate as a result of being located in between Lake Erie, Lake Ontario and the sheltering effects of the Niagara Escarpment (About Our City, n.d.). As the Burgoyne Bridge is located in downtown, the urbanized areas effect the climate differently than close rural areas (Hough, 2004, p. 190). Due to the urbanization, there are multiple factors which result in these microclimate changes. One aspect to consider is the type of materials in the area- materials such as stone, pavement and concrete store and conduct heat much faster than the soil dominated surfaces of rural landscapes (p. 190). Windows and roofs of the nearby storefronts can act as reflectors and absorb/reflect heat back to the other surfaces, essentially heating the entire city (p. 190). Air quality is a second human-induced change which has altered the local microclimate. Due to the growing population and increase of car pollution, 'increased atmospheric carbon dioxide will lead to increased air temperatures" (p. 191). As a result of taller buildings being built, that effects the natural wind flow throughout the city, making small alterations to the microclimate.
Land use history:
The need for a bridge over the 12 Mile Creek goes as far back as 1853, the year the Great Western Railway was built in St. Catharines (Jackson & Wilson, 1992, p. 218). People were not able to safely travel across the 12 Mile Creek into without having to cross extremely dangerous slopes in order to reach a low hanging, rickety bridge. William B. Burgoyne
The Burgoyne Bridge was under delay for many years due to political issues such as cost, alternative methods, general construction issues, who should pay for the bridge, and the actual exact location of the bridge. Where the bridge was ultimately built, multiple important buildings had to be torn down. These include a stately private residence, a hospital, and a nurse training school (GreenBelt, 2012).
Education / Interpretation:
While there are no physical exhibits dedicated to the Burgoyne Bridge, the St. Catharines library has lots of information on the history of the bridge and the downtown St. Catharines area, both online and at the public library. The 1992 Canadian textbook "St. Catharines: Canada's Canal City" by John Jackson and Sheila Wilson has an entire chapter dedicated to the bridges in St. Catharines, including the Burgoyne Bridge.
In addition to those resources, at the northernmost part of the bridge there are black and white blown up photographs of the original bridge for observers to look at before the cross over.
Architectural Heritage:
Due to when the Burgoyne Bridge was originally built, it is expected for there to be multiple changes to the local landscapes. In addition to the multiple buildings built on both sides of the bridge, there has also been constant upkeep of the bridge itself. Since 1915 the bridge has had consistent resurfacing and repairs to ensure it stays safe for people to cross.
Timeline of Key Burgoyne Bridge Maintenance Dates (St. Catharines Public Library, n.d.)
One of the biggest differences between the original Burgoyne Bridge and the 2014 reconstruction is the large white arch in the middle of the bridge. The arch is primarily for visual appeal, as well as to hold the lighting for the bridge. When the Burgoyne Bridge was originally built in 1915 the middle area of the bridge was used for train tracks. As a result of the lack of railway travel in more modern times, when the bridge was renovated, the middle portion was hollowed out to accommodate the arch.
Due to tragic accidents, the city of St. Catharines recently has been putting up barriers on the sides of the Burgoyne Bridge to prevent jumpers.
An interesting thing to note is that over of the 7 spans which support the bridge, one of them is kept from the original structure.
Recreational Uses:
While there are no formal recreational events that occur on the bridge, it is not uncommon for people to walk across it to observe the 12 Mile Creek. Historically the bridge was used for people to safely walk from one side of 12 Mile Creek to the other, and that is still the main purpose today.
The Burgoyne Bridge is owned by the Regional Municipality of Niagara (CanAm Bridges, 2018) and area is open to the pubic. There were original plans to make the Burgoyne Bridge a tolled road, but there were never plans for restrict public assess. The only other way way to cross over the 12 Mile Creek is via a smaller bridge, but this bridge is not able to accommodate automobiles. It is expected that citizens travel over the Burgoyne Bridge. The bridge is maintained by the city for regular checkups and upkeep.
The Burgoyne Bridge is essential to the downtown St. Catharines core and has both influenced and been influenced by the local geography. Urban landscapes are complex due to the interactions of humans and environmental agents (Alberti, 2008, p. 93), and the Burgoyne Bridge is no exception. In more recent years, the development of the Meridian Centre (home of the Ontario Hockey League's Niagara Ice Dogs) has helped bring more people into the downtown core during nights which there are hockey games. As a result, more people need to be able to safely cross over the 12 Mile Creek, and the new Burgoyne Bridge has helped do that. South of the bridge is Rodman Hall, which is a local art gallery which is also used to house small meetings and conventions. In order to travel from the downtown area to the Hall, the Burgoyne Bridge is the most safe and popular option.
City of St. Catharines
PO Box 3012, 50 Church St.
St. Catharines ON L2R 7C2
Tel: 905.688.5600
Fax: 905.682.3631
Pomerleau Contracting- Toronto Office
185 The West Mall, Suite 1100
Etobicoke ON, M9C 5L5
Phone: (416) 207-0848
Fax: (416) 207-9636
Text and online sources (list the books, monographs, journals, and other written material you consulted in the preparation of this report)
Alberti, M. (2008). Advances in urban ecology: Integrating humans and ecological processes in urban ecology. Retrieved from University of Washington database.
Brown, D. T., Middleton, J., & Vaughan, K. S. (2010). The land between lakes: An overview of the Niagara region.
Canam Bridges (2018). Burgoyne Bridge. Retrieved from https://www.canambridges.com/projects/burgoyne-bridge/
Hough, M. (2004). Cities and Natural Process (Vol. 2nd ed). London: Routledge. Retrieved from https://proxy.library.brocku.ca/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=nlebk&AN=114942&site=eds-live&scope=site
Jackson, J. N., & Wilson, S. M. (1992). St. Catharines : Canada's canal city. St. Catharines, Ont. : St. Catharines Standard, 1992.
Niagara Green Belt (2012). Burgoyne bridge. Retrieved from http://www.niagaragreenbelt.com/listings/16-bridges/470-burgoyne- bridge.html
Niagara Peninsula Conservation Authority (2012). Twelve Mile Creek 2012 Watershed Report Card. Retrieved from https://npca.ca/sites/default/files/TwelveMileCreek_WatershedReportCard.pdf
St. Catharines Public Library, (n.d.). The Burgoyne bridge: the final years of the Burgoyne bridge. Retrieved from http://bmd.stcatharines.library.on.ca/en/433/Exhibit/5 St. Catharines (n.d.) About our city. Retrieved from https://www.stcatharines.ca/en/experiencein/AboutOurCity.asp?_mid_=26335
This Local Landscape Report was prepared by Adam Pappas for the Brock University course GEOG 2P94: Human Dominated Ecosystems on November 18, 2018.
All copyrights for cited material rest with the original copyright owners.
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