Humber Bridge Trail and Mcewen Bridge, Schedule "B", Municipal Class EA Location: City of Vaughan, Region of York
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From: Kulpa, Paula (MTC) [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, October 18, 2010 10:59 AM To: Shoniker, Blair Cc: [email protected]; Duclos, Bert (MTC); [email protected] Subject: Bowstring Arch Bridges, Municipal Class EA Projects: Bowstring Arch Bridges, Humber Bridge trail and McEwen Bridge, Schedule "B", Municipal Class EA Location: City of Vaughan, Region of York Blair Shoniker, On October 13, 2010 the Ministry of Tourism and Culture (MTC) received your letter with respect to the Municipal Class Environmental Assessment for two bowstring arch bridges located in the City of Vaughan, and within the Humber River watershed. As part of the Class Environmental Assessment process, the Ministry of Tourism and Culture has an interest in the conservation of cultural heritage resources including: o Archaeological resources; o Built heritage resources; and o Cultural heritage landscapes. The Provincial Policy Statement, 2005 issued under the authority of the Planning Act defines “conserved” as “the identification, protection, use and/or management of cultural heritage and archaeological resources in such a way that their heritage values, attributes and integrity are retained. This may be addressed through a conservation plan or heritage impact assessment.” Archaeology: As per our checklist for determining archaeological potential, a primary water source is located within both study areas, confirming the archaeological potential of the property. An archaeological assessment by a licensed consultant archaeologist of all lands that are part of this development proposal will be necessary for this project prior to any ground disturbance and/or site alterations. Once the assessment is complete, the licensed archaeologist will file an archaeological assessment report (3 copies) to the Ministry of Tourism and Culture for review by an Archaeology Review Officer. The ministry will review the report to ensure that the licensed archaeologist has met the terms and conditions of his or her licence, including ministry requirements for fieldwork and reporting. Built Heritage and Cultural Heritage Landscapes: Both bridges are located within the Humber River Watershed, which is designated as a Canadian Heritage River. Furthermore, the Ministry is aware that both bridges have been identified as having heritage interest by the heritage sub-committee of the Humber Watershed Alliance of the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority. Based on this information a heritage impact assessment report, which includes an evaluation of the cultural heritage value or interest of the bridges will be necessary for both projects. The Ministry recommends that several conservation options be considered when work is proposed for a heritage bridge, with conservation and retention in situ being the preferred alternative. These options, in descending order of preference, are as follows: a) Retention of existing bridge with no major modifications undertaken; b) Retention of existing bridge with sympathetic modifications; c) Retention of existing bridge with sympathetically designed structure in proximity; d) Retention of existing bridge no longer in use for vehicular purposes but adapted for pedestrian walkways, cycle paths, scenic viewing, etc.; e) Relocation of bridge to appropriate new site for continued use (see C) or adaptive re-use (see D); f) Retention of bridge as heritage monument for viewing purposes only; g) Salvage of elements/members of bridge for incorporation into new structure or for future conservation work or displays; h) Full recording and documentation of structure if it is to be demolished. Options (g) and (h) should only be considered as a last resort. The heritage impact assessment should be sent to the local municipality, its Municipal Heritage Committee, and the heritage sub-committee of the Humber Watershed Alliance for their review and information as part of the Environmental Assessment process. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions. Regards, Paula Paula Kulpa A/Heritage Planner | Central West Tel. 1.416.314.7137 Fax. 1.416.314.7175 E‐mail: [email protected] Our offices have moved! Ministry of Tourism and Culture Culture Division | Programs and Services Branch Culture Services Unit 401 Bay Street, Suite 1700 Toronto, Ontario M7A 0A7 City of Vaughan Cultural Heritage Existing Conditions Report for the Humber Bridge Trail Bowstring Arch Bridge Project Number: 60160807 Date: October, 2010 Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report - DRAFT Humber River (West Branch) Bridge, Structure No. 008601 Class Environmental Assessment for Bowstring Arch Bridges on Humber River Trail and McEwen Bridge on Kirby Road City of Vaughan, Ontario Prepared for: AECOM 300 Town Centre Blvd, Suite 300 Markham, ON L3R 5Z6 Tel: 905-477-8400 x383 Fax: 905-477-1456 Website: http://www.aecom.com/ ASI File 10EA-053 October 2010 Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report - DRAFT Humber River (West Branch) Bridge, Structure No. 008601 Class Environmental Assessment for Bowstring Arch Bridges on Humber River Trail and McEwen Bridge on Kirby Road City of Vaughan, Ontario EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Archaeological Services Inc. was contracted by AECOM, Markham, to conduct a cultural heritage evaluation of the Humber River (West Branch) Bridge (Structure No. 008601) in order to establish the cultural heritage significance of the structure. This evaluation is being conducted as part of the Class Environmental Assessment for Bowstring Arch Bridges on Humber River Trail and McEwen Bridge on Kirby Road. The Humber River (West Branch) Bridge was built in 1918 to carry the Humber Bridge Trail (formerly Major Mackenzie Road) over the west branch of Humber River in the City of Vaughan, Ontario. The structure is a concrete bowstring arch bridge which is currently owned and maintained by the City of Vaughan. Based on the results of archival research, an analysis of bridge design and construction in Ontario, a field review, application of the Ontario Heritage Bridge Program criteria for the evaluation of heritage bridges and consideration of evaluation criteria under Ontario Heritage Act Regulation 9/06, the Humber River (West Branch) Bridge was determined to retain high heritage value. The structure’s significance revolves around its historic, contextual, and design-related values. Given that it achieved a score over the 60 point threshold, the Humber River (West Branch) Bridge is recommended for inclusion on the Ontario Heritage Bridge List. Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report - DRAFT Humber River (West Branch) Bridge, Structure No. 008601 City of Vaughan, Ontario Page iii ARCHAEOLOGICAL SERVICES INC. ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT DIVISION PROJECT PERSONNEL Senior Project Manager: Robert Pihl, MA, CAHP Partner and Senior Archaeologist Manager, Environmental Assessment Division Project Director: Rebecca Sciarra, MA, CAHP Cultural Heritage Specialist Manager, Built Heritage and Cultural Landscape Planning Division Project Manager: Lindsay Popert, MA, CAHP Cultural Heritage Specialist Project Coordinator: Sarah Jagelewski, Hon. BA Research Archaeologist Report Preparation: Lindsay Popert Annie Veilleux, Hon. BA Researcher Graphics Preparation: Annie Veilleux Report Reviewer: Rebecca Sciarra Cultural Heritage Evaluation Report - DRAFT Humber River (West Branch) Bridge, Structure No. 008601 City of Vaughan, Ontario Page iv TABLE OF CONTENTS EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ..................................................................................................................................ii PROJECT PERSONNEL................................................................................................................................... iii TABLE OF CONTENTS ................................................................................................................................... iv 1.0 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................................................... 1 2.0 POLICY FRAMEWORK.......................................................................................................................2 2.1 Municipal Heritage Bridge Assessment........................................................................................5 3.0 HISTORICAL CONTEXT AND CONSTRUCTION ......................................................................................6 3.1 Introduction ...............................................................................................................................6 3.2 Land Use History.........................................................................................................................6 3.3 Bridge Construction....................................................................................................................9 3.3.1 Early Bridge Building in Ontario ..............................................................................................9 3.3.2 Concrete Bowstring Arch Bridge Construction........................................................................ 10 3.3.3 Construction of the Humber River (West Branch) Bridge ......................................................... 10 4.0 EXISTING CONDITIONS AND INTEGRITY ...........................................................................................10 4.1 Comparative Analysis................................................................................................................11 4.2 Additional Cultural Heritage Resources......................................................................................12