Prince Edward Viaduct
What is the Prince Edward Viaduct?
The Prince Edward Viaduct System is a series of three arch bridges on Bloor Street (ON-5) in Toronto,
Ontario between Danforth Ave (The Danforth) and Shelborne Street. The Prince Edward Viaduct is split into three sections. The first and most renown section is the River Don section which is the section bridging the Don
Valley and the Don River. This section is more commonly known as the Bloor Street Viaduct. The second section is the Rosedale Section. The Rosedale Bridge is the smallest section and is also the least known. Also it bridges the Rosedale Valley. The third section is the Bloor Section which is the westernmost section of the system.
Although this section is know as the Bloor Section it is the Don Section that is known as the Bloor Street Viaduct.

What is the Luminous Veil?
The Luminous Veil is a screen made of vertical steel rods running along the outer sides of the bridge to prevent people from jumping off the bridge; committing suicide. The suicides and safety risks prompted the construction of the 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.
The council originally approved a $2.5 million budget. However, the minimum bid for construction was $5.5 million. Council eventually approved and endorsed a fundraising campaign to raise the remainder of the money.
Construction was completed in 2003 at the cost of $5.5 million, with $2.5 million coming from taxpayers.
Although cost prohibited the planned lighting to be installed on the top horizontal member, in 1999 The
Luminous Veil received a Canadian Architect Award of Excellence.
A study done in 2010 concluded that although the Luminous Veil Prevented Suicides on the Prince
Edward Viaduct but, it didn’t reduce the amount of total suicides in Toronto annually. In addition, the only bridge in North America that has been the site of more suicides than the Prince Edward Viaduct is the Golden
Gate Bridge in San Francisco, California.

What Are the Dimensions?
The Prince Edward Viaduct has 5 vehicle lanes and 2 bicycle lanes which is about 58 feet. Its length is 494 meters (1620 feet) and Clearance below is 40 meters (131 feet).

Who was involved in the creation of the Prince Edward Viaduct?
Designed by Edmund W. Burke, the Prince Edward Viaduct is a three hinged concrete-steel, deck arch bridge with a total span of 494 metres, at 40 metres above the Don Valley. Referenda on the construction of the
Prince Edward Viaduct were held in Toronto in every year from 1910 to 1913. The residents of Toronto opposed the construction of the bridge, voting against its construction in 1912 by 59 votes; yet strangely in favour of the

bridge in 1913 by 9236 votes. The Bridge’s designer and R.C.Harris, the Commissioner of Public Works had their way and finally had the lower deck was built on all three sections of the Prince Edward Viaduct System. Though the rosedale section was never used for subways because the turn at Bloor and Parliament Street was thought to be too “tight”. This lead to the construction of a covered subway bridge built over the Rosedale Valley west of the Castle Frank Subway Station. This section is sometimes considered part or the Prince Edward Viaduct. In addition, this extension was designed by John B. Parkin and Associates with De Leuw Cather Canada (now
Delcan Corporation) and completed in 1966. These expansions of the Prince Edward Viaduct eventually saved the City of Toronto and the Toronto Transit Commission (TTC) a substantial amount of money when the
Bloor-Danforth subway extension was opened in 1966.

How much money did the Prince Edward Viaduct cost?
The projected cost of its construction increased from $759,000 in 1910 to $2.5 million in 1913; its final cost was under budget at $2,480,349 ($34.3 million in 2014 Canadian dollars). Upon its