Lyndhurst Bridge

Ontario's oldest surviving bridge is located in the picturesque village of Lyndhurst, in the eastern part of the province. Constructed in 1857 over the Gananoque River, some 10 years prior to Canadian Confederation, the Lyndhurst Bridge is a beautiful and traditionally designed three arch bridge made of local field stone and local Nepean sandstone. The Lyndhurst Bridge was designed and constructed by local residents. While the bridge was built by Miles Fulford and Simon Ransom, the bridge was designed by an employee of a local mill owner, Scottish native John Donald Roddick, who came to Lyndhurst about 1853. It is said that the design of the Lyndhurst Bridge is similar to older bridges that are in Scotland. Using local materials also meant that the bridge was able to use some local touches in the construction of the bridge, such as mill stones from local mill owner Henry Green for decoration.

Once the bridge was completed, it became the focal point of the Lyndhurst community, which was once home to five mills at the time the bridge was built. The arches of the bridge also divided the water rights between the mill owners, one of whom was John Donald Roddick. The Lyndhurst Bridge still is a focal point of Lyndhurst, and while traffic only holds one lane at a time, the bridge was strengthened in 1986 by the addition of a load bearing concrete slab inside the deck system. While this retrofitting relieves the bridge from having to bear the loads of traffic, but some engineering historians may not be thrilled that the arch no longer serves a functional purpose. The alteration is not visible to anyone since it is hidden under the deck, and it likely prevented the need for alterations to the stonework, which appears to retain its historic integrity. Today, local residents and curiosity seekers can enjoy the history and uniqueness of the oldest bridge in Ontario by taking a stroll across the bridge or viewing it from nearby Furnace Falls Park.

The story of the Lyndhurst Bridge in English.

... and in French.

Viewing the bridge from nearby Furnace Falls Park.

The bridge is one lane wide, and you can also spy the flared edge of the end of the bridge.

The stone work on the bridge itself looks quite long.

A close-up of the local stone used in the bridge's stonework. Using local stone meant not having to obtain stone from a far away quarry.

This bridge is indeed historic.

The surrounding village of Lyndhurst is also worth checking out. If you have some time to poke around town, it is certainly a charming place to visit.

The Green Gecko.

A home painted like gift wrap. I passed through a few weeks before Christmas, so this may be a fitting decoration.

This cairn is to remember the Lansdowne Iron Works, which was the first iron works located in Upper Canada. The Lansdowne Iron Works is a national historic site that opened in 1801, but was destroyed by fire in 1811. Not much remains of the iron works today.

Remains of a mill on the Gananoque River, just beyond the Lyndhurst Bridge.

How to Get There:

Sources and Links:
HistoricBridges.org - Lyndhurst Bridge
Frontenac Arch Biosphere - Lyndhurst Heritage Walking Tour
Ontario's Historical Plaques - The Lyndhurst Bridge
Ontario Beneath Our Feet - Lyndhurst Bridge
Ontario Heritage Trust - The Lyndhurst Bridge

Paper Highways; California State Route 1 through the Lost Coast

For all the accolades and praise that California State Route 1 gets for being a top notch coastal highway one fact tends to get overlooked; the highway was never finished! In this edition of Paper Highways we look at the failed path of California State Route 1 through the Lost Coast.

Part 1; the history of Legislative Route 56 and California Route 1 through the Lost Coast

The Lost Coast region consists of the undeveloped coastal areas of Humboldt County, Mendocino County, and the King Range. The Lost Coast region roughly spans from near Rockport in Mendocino County north to Ferndale of Humboldt County. The Lost Coast region is known for having rugged terrain which rivals what is seen in Big Sur. The Lost Coast has several small communities such as; Shelter Cove, Whitehorn, and Petrolia.

In 1933 Legislative Route 56 was extended south to LRN 2 (US 101) near Las Cruces and north to Ferndale to LRN 1 (also US 101). Prior to 1933 the legislative description of LRN 56 had it's nort…

Where the hell is Hill Valley? (US Route 8 south/US Route 395 east)

Recently I made a visit to Universal Studios near Los Angeles. While on the back lot tour I came across a piece of infamous movie-borne fictional highway infamy; the location of town square of Hill Valley, California on US Route 8/US Route 395.

The above photo is part of the intro scene to the first Back-to-the-Future movie which was set in 1985. To anyone who follows roadways the signage error of US 8 meeting US 395 in California is an immediately notable error. For one; US 8 doesn't even exist anywhere near California with present alignment being signed as an east/west highway between Norway, Michigan and Forest Lake, Minnesota. To make matters worse US 8 is signed as a southbound route and US 395 (a north/south highway) is signed as an eastbound route. At minimum the cut-out US 8 and US 395 shields somewhat resemble what Caltrans used in the 1980s.

Assuming Hill Valley is located on what would have been US 395 by 1985 what locales would be a viable real world analog? US 39…

US Route 99 to Visalia?...

Something that I noticed awhile back while doing map research regarding US Route 99 in Fresno was that the highway intended to be originally routed through the City of Visalia.

The early originally planned alignment of US Route 99 in Visalia

To be clear US 99 was never actually routed through Visalia and ended up bypassing the City in favor of a direct route from Goshen southeast to Tulare. US 99 within San Joaquin Valley was aligned over Legislative Route 4 which in turn was added to the State Highway System as part of the 1909 First State Highway Bond Act. LRN 4 for a time was aligned through Visalia via; Mineral King Avenue, Main Street, and Mooney Boulevard. This early alignment of LRN 4 through Visalia can be seen on the 1924 Division of Highways State Map.

The initial draft of the US Route System was approved by the Secretary of Agriculture during November of 1925. The US Route System with in California was approved by California Highway Commission with no changes recommended…

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