THE WAY WE WERE: Tribute to 90-year-old 'Hogg's Hollow Bridge'

Published Jan 05, 2019 • 1 minute read

The “original” bridge that carried Yonge St. over a branch of the Don Rivert that continues to flow through the hollow named in honour of the pioneer Hogg family is seen in this early 1900s penny postcard.

In last week’s column I paid homage to, of all things, a Toronto parking lot.

Story continues below

And this week it’s a special anniversary tribute to, wait for it, a bridge.

Recommended Videos

Since it was officially opened to traffic exactly 90 years ago Saturday — on January 5, 1929 — what was initially known as Yonge Boulevard Viaduct, then more colloquially as the Hogg’s Hollow Bridge or Viaduct, over the years the structure has been enlarged with the addition of three more spans.

But the original single span structure remains an integral part of the 14 lane stretch of Hwy. 401 across the top of the city.

The viaduct concept was first proposed in 1921 as a way for traffic to detour around the treacherous stretch of old Yonge St. that descended through the valley of the West Don River — a locale that had gained the title Hogg’s Hollow in recognition of the Hogg family, local millers and land developers.

Towering 39 meters (128 feet) above the valley floor and stretching 384 meters (1,260 feet) in length, the ends of the new structure would connect with the existing Yonge Boulevard on the high ground to the west and Yonge St. some distance south of Sheppard Ave. to the northeast.

Financed by the City of Toronto (20%), the County of York (20%) and the province (60%), the obligatory ribbon cutting was performed by George S. Henry, the Minister of Highways 90 years ago.

This Nov. 23, 1928, map shows the location of what was then known as the Hoggâs Hollow Viaduct. This substantial structure combined with Yonge Blvd. allowed traffic to get around the deep often flooded or ice-covered hollow that impeded all forms of traffic traveling to and from the city via the stretch of Yonge St. north of the city limits. Also seen in this map are the proposed alignment and extensions to the existing Avenue Rd. that if and when undertaken would permit another north-south route into and out of the city and thereby take pressure off an already heavily trafficked Yonge St.

Cameron Bevers, who has documented the history of numerous highways throughout our province (see thekingshighway.ca) took this photo in 2003 of a portion of the underside of the multi-lane Hwy. 401 where it crosses the Don Valley. On the left is the original 1929 bridge across the valley that now carries the Eastbound Express lanes. To its right (south) is the bridge that now carries the Eastbound Collector lanes. Newer bridges have been constructed to carry Westbound Express and Collector lanes over the valley. Note also the high-mast lighting.

The new viaduct was built to convey traffic around the deep valley of the Don River north of the city. The west and east ends of the structure connected with Yonge Blvd. and Yonge St. respectively. This unattributed photo shows the various âancientâ buildings located on the floor of the valley, some of which had to be replaced when the West Don River flooded each spring. The city operated 18-hole Don Valley Golf Course has occupied this area since opening in 1956.

See also torontosun.com/author/mike-filey

mfiley@postmedia.com

You must be logged in to join the discussion or read more comments.

Create an Account

Join the Conversation

Postmedia is committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion. Please keep comments relevant and respectful. Comments may take up to an hour to appear on the site. You will receive an email if there is a reply to your comment, an update to a thread you follow or if a user you follow comments. Visit our Community Guidelines for more information.