Stone Road Bridge

[vaneramos]

The old bridge






The first time Danny visited me in Guelph, we hiked out Lilac Way as far as Stone Road, an hour each way. Beside the old single-lane bridge stood a big black willow shading a lush, grassy bank. We sat there hugging. I peeled off socks and boots to soak my feet in the cool Eramosa stream.

Last October I drove that way and found a broad, new bridge under construction alongside the old one. I stopped and took some uninteresting photos of the work.

Yesterday afternoon was so beautiful I got in the car and started driving, not sure whether I would turn toward Guelph Lake or the Arboretum, but ended up cruising down Stone Road to see what became of the old bridge.

It has been left intact. It is a truss bridge of reinforced concrete. I've walked across it before, but traffic always prevented me from loitering. Yesterday, taking my time, I noticed a date on the concrete span between the two arches: 1916. Although the old roadbed has been closed, the bridge appears in good condition and will apparently be left standing.

But the grassy place and the giant willow are gone, buried under the new bridge.





One more image is posted in texture.