Minto Bridges - Ottawa, Ontario
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Weathervane
N 45° 26.414 W 075° 41.454
18T E 445965 N 5032088
Constructed in 1900 using riveted connections, the Minto Bridges are located in Ottawa, Ontario.
Waymark Code: WMD5Z6
Location: Ontario, Canada
Date Posted: 11/23/2011
Views: 26
Minto Bridge is not a single bridge but three bridges that connect two small islands to the shores on either side of the Rideau River. Two of the bridges are single span truss bridges. One of the single span bridges connects Maple Island to the shore, and another connects Green Island to the shore. Connecting Green Island to Maple Island is the third bridge, which is a two-span truss bridge.
These ornamental bridges were built between 1900 and 1902 under the direction of Robert Surtees, a City of Ottawa engineer. They were one of the first projects of the Ottawa Improvement Commission (forerunner to the National Capital Commission), which Wilfrid Laurier set up in 1899 to transform Ottawa into the “Washington of the North.”
The bridges were to be part of a new ceremonial route leading from the vice-regal residence at Rideau Hall along King Edward Avenue to Parliament Hill. They spanned the Rideau River from the south end of Green Island and across Maple Island to connect Union Street in New Edinburgh with King Edward Avenue in Lowertown. The new bridges were named after the eighth governor general of Canada, the fourth earl of Minto.
Lord and Lady Minto's dedication to Canada's heritage led to the creation of the National Archives of Canada. In addition, Lady Minto was the first patron of the Women's Canadian Historical Society of Ottawa, the organization that founded the Bytown Museum in 1917.
The City of Ottawa restored the Minto Bridges in 1996.
Parking Coordinates:: N 45° 26.500 W 075° 41.600
Length of Span:
Approximately 350 Meters
www:
http://capitalneighbourhoods.ca/english/new-edinburgh/story-232.aspx
Date Built: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
Log your find with a picture of the bridge with yourself or your GPS in the foreground. This shot does not have to be taken "on" the bridge. The shot should show the "truss" structure of the bridge as well.