The Cambridge Main Street Bridge is a concrete

bowstring arch bridge A tied-arch bridge is an arch bridge in which the outward horizontal forces of the arch(es) caused by tension at the arch ends to a foundation are countered by equal tension of its own gravity plus any element of the total deck structure such grea ...

located in

Cambridge Cambridge ( ) is a university city and the county town in Cambridgeshire, England. It is located on the River Cam approximately north of London. As of the 2021 United Kingdom census, the population of Cambridge was 145,700. Cambridge bec ...

Ontario Ontario ( ; ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada.Ontario is located in the geographic eastern half of Canada, but it has historically and politically been considered to be part of Central Canada. Located in Central Ca ...

. It cost approximately $55,000 and was built by W.H. Yates Construction Company Limited, with Archibald C. Crealock listed as the principal designer. Construction lasted throughout 1931 and the official opening was held on December 22, 1931. The bridge has a total length of and runs from the Melville Street portion of Queens Square on the west side of Galt to Water Street on the east side. There is a single support in the middle, resulting in two spans of approximately . There are two lanes for vehicular traffic and sidewalks on either side for pedestrians.

History

The

interwar period In the history of the 20th century, the interwar period lasted from 11 November 1918 to 1 September 1939 (20 years, 9 months, 21 days), the end of the World War I, First World War to the beginning of the World War II, Second World War. The in ...

was a time of increased wealth and population growth in southern Ontario. As a result, the number of automobiles on the roads surged drastically, which created a need for updated roadways and increased means of crossing the Grand River. To meet this need, four bridges were built in the area: this bridge, the

Freeport Bridge 'Freeport bridge may refer to: * Freeport Bridge is an alternate name for the Donald R. Lobaugh Bridge in Pennsylvania * Freeport Bridge (Grand River, Ontario) is a heritage multispan concrete truss span bridge -- a companion to the Cambridge Main ...

and Bridgeport Bridge in Kitchener, and the Caledonia Bridge (now renamed) in

Caledonia Caledonia (; ) was the Latin name used by the Roman Empire to refer to the part of Great Britain () that lies north of the River Forth, which includes most of the land area of Scotland. Today, it is used as a romantic or poetic name for all ...

. On August 19, 1982, it was designated as a historic place under Part IV of the ''

Ontario Heritage Act The ''Ontario Heritage Act'', (the ''Act'') first enacted on March 5, 1975, allows municipalities and the provincial government to designate individual properties and districts in the Province of Ontario, Canada, as being of cultural heritage ...

'' (By-law 2225) and given Municipal ID (IDM) number 10817. It is also listed on the Ontario Heritage Bridge list. In 2009, the bridge underwent repairs and reconstruction. It re-opened to the public in July, 2009. File:View S from Cambr main st bridge.jpg , A view from the bridge, looking south to the Concession Street Bridge File:Cambr main st bridge from West.jpg , A view of the bridge from the west side.

References

External links

{{Commons category, Cambridge Main Street Bridge Transport buildings and structures in Cambridge, Ontario Bridges in the Regional Municipality of Waterloo Road bridges in Ontario Road transport in Cambridge, Ontario Tied arch bridges in Canada Grand River (Ontario)