Canal Lake Arch Bridge
Text from the plaque
Completed in 1905, this noteworthy structure on the Trent-Severn Waterway is the earliest-known reinforced concrete bridge in Canada. It was built using the Melan system of reinforcement with curved steel girders to reduce the amount of concrete required, resulting in a comparatively slender arch. This structure illustrates the transition from stone to concrete, with massive abutments and surface markings imitative of its masonry predecessors. A precursor of large-span reinforced concrete bridges, the Arch Bridge is an important milestone in the history of civil engineering in Canada.
Transcribed from the marker, not summarised.
Find the place
The City of Kawartha Lakes
At Centennial Park Road (Road 33) and Canal Lake,
1.3 km north of Road 48, east of Bolsover
N 44 33.387 W 79 02.712
Recorded July 2009. Check current access before visiting.
Visitors' notes
June 22, 2011
See the related page to the Newmarket Radial Railway Arch (1909). -Wayne [Editor's Response: Added link. Thanks.]