Cherry Street Bridge

The south side of the Cherry Street Bridge, which crosses the Toronto Harbour Ship Channel.

The bridge was designed and built by the engineer Joseph Baermann Strauss in 1930 and it officially opened in 1931.

Apparently, it’s a rare Canadian example of a “heel trunnion bascule bridge”, whatever that means! But essentially, it’s a lift bridge that uses a 750-tonne concrete counterweight on the north side to pivot the road upwards at the south side, allowing ships and tall boats to pass through the channel.

The City of Toronto recognised the Cherry Street Bridge as historically important in 1992. When I took this shot, they appeared to be doing some repair or restoration work to the bridge.

The bridge has certainly seen better days but for me, the rust and peeling paint are a big part of its charm!