Toronto bridge was actually built for the British Army during World War II

Along Toronto's Lake Shore Boulevard West, a route littered with 21st-century development and concrete, a relic of the international war effort of WWII lies hidden in plain sight. 

The Lake Shore Boulevard Bailey Bridge, which has connected pedestrians between the Canadian National Exhibition grounds and the waterfront since 1952, is a product of British military innovation. 

Bailey bridges were designed as an easily replicable, prefabricated truss structure that was quickly adopted by the British and Canadian militaries. The bridge's components were small enough to be transported in trucks and assembled by a handful of soldiers with only basic equipment, making it an invaluable tool for allied armies navigating the war-torn battlefields of Europe. 

The bridge's namesake and inventor, Sir Donald Bailey, was a British engineer working for the War Office, who developed the blueprints for this widely-reproduced bridge design in 1940-41. 

Through its use, soldiers could quickly and easily traverse a war-ravaged landscape, allowing for army engineers to custom build a bridge to support the advance of any amount of troops, munitions, ordnance, and equipment. 

Allied armoured vehicle crossing a Bailey bridge over the Volturno river in Italy in 1943. 

The sturdy, stackable design, easy mobility of parts, and straightforward assembly — which allowed troops to bypass well-defended bridges and other bottlenecks — earned Bailey a knighthood for his contribution.

But the Bailey bridge design's ease and speed of construction would also make it a popular post-war solution for rapidly growing cities.

Soon after the war, the Bailey bridge was adopted by cities and towns everywhere the British had previously ventured- from the European theatre of war, to the Guyanas, to Ontario.

Eight decades since the war came to a close, a pair of longstanding Bailey bridges carry on the design's legacy in Toronto, including one carrying Old Finch Avenue over the Rouge River, and another which extends across Lake Shore Boulevard just east of Dufferin.

The latter, known as the Lake Shore Bailey Bridge, was purchased by Ontario Hydro predecessor, the Hydro-Electric Power Commission of Ontario (HEPCO) and the Dominion Bridge company, from the British Army's post-war surplus. 

A 2007 view of the crossing one year before a renovation swapped out wood elements for steel. Photo by SimonP via Creative Commons

The Lake Shore Bailey Bridge blends into the background with its unassuming appearance, and many pedestrians crossing it daily likely have no idea that they are traversing repurposed war infrastructure.

HEPCO was established in 1906 to provide electricity to Ontario's cities and towns. It organized the construction of much-needed electrical infrastructure from transmission lines to generating facilities that now span the province. Bailey bridges played a crucial role in accomplishing HEPCO's mandate across a rapidly growing Ontario while limiting infrastructure spending. 

Bailey Bridges purchased from the British Army's arsenal were deployed by HEPCO in the construction of hydraulic power stations in Northern Ontario and on the Ottawa and Niagara Rivers. 

In 1952, the Lake Shore bridge was the first of two 90-foot Bailey bridges that were erected at Exhibition Place. The second was removed when Ontario Place was built in 1971. The first's irreplaceability on our shores, however, remains a testament to Bailey's design. 

The Bailey bridge crossing Lake Shore Blvd. in 1956. Image via City of Toronto.

Hundreds of Bailey bridges still exist throughout Canada. Initially made for war, they brought a swifter end to WWII, and now they connect communities across the vastness of our country. 

The Lake Shore Bailey Bridge is among the last of its kind in the city of Toronto, as the temporary bridges were inevitably replaced with more permanent infrastructure. For its novelty, Heritage Toronto has recommended that city council deem it a notable heritage property among the City of Toronto Inventory of Heritage Properties. 

The Lake Shore Boulevard Bailey Bridge is a rare example of a historical artifact that still serves a key purpose. It's one of the only ways Toronto residents can easily and safely access our beautiful western waterfront across the arterial's busy lanes of traffic.

However, Bailey bridges continue to pop up in Toronto. The latest case came in 2014, when Bailey bridges were added to the Dufferin Street bridge as a temporary fix during that crossing's long-term reconstruction.