Welland
Wabash Bridge postcard
Dain City Bridge
Dain City is a small suburb in southern Welland. The area was named after the Marshall Dain Manufacturing Company (now John Deere) in the mid-1950s, the city's main employer at the time. The Dain City Bridge (bridge no. 17) was completed in 1927 and carried the Wabash Railway line over the canal. It was designed by Harrington, Howard and Ash of New York City. The bridge is similar in design to many other lift bridges built over the canal around this period. Being a single track railway bridge, it is narrower than bridges designed for vehicles and does not have railings or sidewalks. The bridge is still used for railway traffic by Trillium Railway but is fixed and no longer raises. The completion of the Welland bypass in 1973 rendered this section of the canal unnecessary for seaway traffic. The bypass was constructed to route seaway traffic around the city of Welland, and provide a wider and straighter channel.
Plan of Wabash Bridge (no. 17), Welland Ship Canal
Bridge no. 14 (Lincoln Street), 1934
Lincoln Street Bridge
The Lincoln Street Bridge (bridge no. 14) was built around the same time as the other vertical lift bridges over the fourth Welland canal (1927-1931). After the completion of the Welland bypass in 1973 it was removed and replaced by a fixed span bridge.
Main Street Bridge, Welland, ca. 1930s
Main Street Bridge
The Main Street Bridge (bridge no. 13) was built between 1927 and 1930. It is one of the largest lift bridges on the canal. The bridge connects the east and west portions of downtown Welland. It was found to be increasingly inadequate as canal traffic increased and automobile use became more common. The traffic disruptions in downtown Welland were alleviated with the completion of the Welland bypass in 1973. At that point, the bridge no longer needed to be raised as canal traffic was re-routed outside of the city centre. The bridge remains a distinctive landmark in Welland.
View of Lincoln St. and Main St. bridges, 1930. Library and Archives Canada.
Alexandra Bridge
The Alexandra Bridge was replaced by the Main Street bridge in Welland. It was opened in 1904 and connected the east and west sides of Main Street. The bridge was built over the third Welland canal and was named after Queen Alexandra, wife of King Edward VII. It was removed in 1926 so that a new lift bridge could be constructed in its place (bridge no. 13). The Alexandra Bridge was moved to a temporary site at Bald and Division Streets to allow traffic in Welland to continue flowing during the construction of the Main Street and Lincoln Street bridges.
Alexandra Bridge, Welland. This was a swing bridge that would turn to allow ships to pass through.