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Key Facts |
Bridge Name | Type | Road | Location | City | Crossing |
| King's Highway 40 18th Concession Drain Bridge | Concrete | King's Highway 40 | Chatham-Kent Region, ON | Rural | Big Creek |
I listed the alternative name for this bridge as Elbow Line Bridge because this bridge is right next to that road, and the bridge itself looks like it has an elbow, the way the railing panel at that end makes a 90 degree turn onto Elbow Line. This bridge features concrete beams, standard period railings, and retains a good deal of integrity. While not individually historically significant, I made a point of including a number of these "semi-historic" structures to try to put Ontario's transportation heritage into perspective. I believe that if a clear picture of history is to be created or recorded, one must record all aspects of history, not just those that are unusual, rare, or unique. Looking at bridges like this, that were common during their time, allows us to see how transportation had developed at that time. These bridges represent the period where the structure of the bridge had simplified, but decoration, in terms of the railings in the case of these bridges, still remained. As the years passed, and the 21st century neared, these decorative railings would give way to the plain, ugly railings of modern bridges. Today, modern bridges are usually devoid of architecture and anything remotely related to beauty. Bridges have become something that is solely utilitarian with no beauty. For this reason, it is important to preserve historic bridges not just because they are historic, but also because they are a fading breed of bridge that actually had design and beauty to them. The railings on this bridge are fairly simple, but yet they were designed to be attractive and functional at the same time. The design, found in bridges built in the middle of the 20th century both in Ontario and neighboring Michigan, represent the combination of aesthetics and function, and aesthetic bridge design's last stand.
