2006-06-20 (9 photos)

Here is a shot of the bridge from the east side of Colonel By Drive, north of the bridge. (NE looking SW)

Here's a closer shot of the East approach. (NE looking S)

And a closer shot of the workers on the centre of the bridge. (NE looking SW)

Here I was trying to be artistic, or something. Maybe I just wanted to get a closer shot of one of the girders, or maybe I just wanted to point out "hey! I could steal this if I really wanted to!"

Some concrete forms going up for the East approach. (E looking W)

Another view of the East approach, beautifully framing the 'hill. Hey, they've got a truck up there--looks good! (SE looking N)

It wouldn't be a construction project without pink insulation foam, now would it? (SE looking NW)

A view from the southeast bank of the canal. Note the bench--months later, we will find it in pretty much the exact same place. (SE looking NE)

Obviously, this photo was taken when my camera's zoom function still worked. My camera's screws have all long fallen out, and the "menu up/zoom in" button works occasionally, and the "menu down/zoom out" button rarely. (SE looking NW)

This post added September 2, 2006
Copyright 2005-2006 Charles Akben-Marchand

2006-06-15 (8 photos)

As I came home from lunch on the Western side of the canal, there was a sign of something going on. The sign seemed to say "look closer", or more specifically, "Pedestrians use other sidewalk".

A view of the other sidewalk. As you can see, pedestrians don't much care for signs. Being a cyclist and not a pedestrian, I decided to ignore the sign.

Not sure what I would see, I took an anticipatory shot.

There had, in fact, been some work going on, and the still-soft asphalt (I discovered this as I tried to dismount) was an even better sign....

PROGRESS! Yay! They've actually started to build some stuff on the bridge! It was just five days ago when I postulated they might delay any over-water construction until the end of the water-using season. (W looking E)

Ooh! It looks so funky, almost like train tracks! Ironic, because once the O-Train is built, this will be about the only safe place for cyclists to cross the canal. (W looking E)

I hadn't noticed the finished wall on that side, either. (NW looking NE)

...and a view through the fence. I'll make sure to take pictures more often! (NW looking SE)

Copyright 2005-2006 Charles Akben-Marchand

2006-06-07 (4 photos)

Although I had gone by a few times in May, I didn't take any photos, because there wasn't that much evidence of change. The most I could see here was the stairway, which I had already photographed from the other side. (SW looking NW)

Nevertheless, I valiantly took photos for comparison. This is a view of the East approach from the West side, just south of the new staircase. That concrete column would be just to the right of the above shot. (SW looking E)

It's so tempting, yet so impossible, to ride over this. It would be nice if the University tore down the Vanier building and built something more attractive on the other side of this bridge, but what can you do? (W looking E)
Here's that curved section that they were building the form for earlier. Very well done, I must say. It looks like more stonework will be going up here, by the looks of that lip at ground level. (W side)
Copyright 2005-2006 Charles Akben-Marchand

2006-06-06 (8 photos)

They've laid down new gravel for the East approach. It's almost as though they're going to pave it soon. (SE looking NE)

I suspect that they've suspended (nyuk nyuk) work on the part of the bridge that goes over the canal for the duration of the boating season. (SE looking N)

Why did I take this picture? Can you see him? It's Waldo--he's a surveyor today. (SE looking SW)

The Peace Tower is framed wonderfully between the two completed walls. (SE looking N)

You can just make out the top of the NCC's building between the two walls. If you've ever been on Elgin Street, between Sparks and Queen, you would never guess that there was a 14-storey building right in front of you. (SE looking NW)

Here's a view of yet another staircase on the East side. There's going to be a lot of them, because the East approach has a much lower elevation than the West approach, which is more or less level to the top of the bridge. (SE looking W)

And between the two walls is a third wall which I must have missed this whole time (or, conceivably, they built in the month between the last set of photos and this set). (E looking W)
The North end of the East approach is starting to shape up: cyclists will be able to climb that ladder to get to the bridge platform. (NE looking SW)
Copyright 2005-2006 Charles Akben-Marchand