Building Ontario Line in Toronto, ON

West End: (Satellite)

North End: (Satellite)

Toronto is doing a lot of tunneling. In addition to their Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, they are building a new subway from downtown to the Eglinton Crosstown LRT at Don Mills Road.

Metrolinx
"The Ontario Line will be a 15.6-kilometre subway line."

"Tunnel boring has proven to be an efficient, safe and reliable way to dig new tunnels for transit lines in built-up areas and it is being used to build Metrolinx projects like the Eglinton Crosstown LRT, the Eglinton Crosstown West Extension, the Scarborough Subway Extension, the Yonge North Subway Extension, and the Ontario Line. This method relies on tunnel boring machines – or TBMs, for short – which tunnel under existing structures and roadways. These machines can be as long as a football field and have a rotating cutter head at the front end that carefully digs through the earth." [metrolinx_tunneling]

 

3:16 video

The Ontario Line goes near Lake Ontario, but not under. So is there another tunneling project at the lake that has these leaks?

0:13 video

Significant water ingress during the TBM tunnelling under Lake Ontario in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Chemical foam was injected behind the segments to stop water which had washed substantial amount of grout.

Follow us at tunnel.engineering

Video credit: LinkedIn Alex Raposo

The evening after I did a Google search for this project, this showed up on my YouTube page. I'm reminded that YouTube is also owned by Google.

5:12 video

Treasure Island Causeway Bridge at St. Petersburg, FL

(I could not find this bridge in Bridge Hunter nor Historic Bridges; Satellite)

The City of Treasure Island, Florida posted
The Treasure Island Causeway Bridge is now fully operational and staffed. For the time being the bridge can only raise the east spans due to a mechanical failure in the far adjacent span. This should not impact recreational boat traffic. Repairs are being made soon.
Douglas Butler shared

I got a street view to catch some of the pylons to confirm that I have the correct causeway bridge since I could not find it in Bridge Hunter.

Street View, May 2024

safe_image (source) for 2 Men Dead After Trying To Jump Over Drawbridge With Car: Police
"Black Bayou Bridge in Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, was closed off to traffic to let a boat sail by, but the passenger left the car and “pushed the gate arm up,” according to a witness. The other person allegedly drove the vehicle under the gate, picked up the passenger and went toward the ramp at the end of the bridge. “After stopping briefly, the driver placed the vehicle in reverse then accelerated forward in an attempt to ‘jump’ the ramp of the bridge,” the statement said. “The vehicle became airborne, landed in the waterway, and sank to the bottom.”"

Dennis DeBruler: Douglas Butler has determined that the news outlet grabbed a photo of the wrong bridge. The photo is of the Tressure Island Causeway, https://maps.app.goo.gl/PYxq1NsM9yp6EUhbA. The Black Bayou Bridge, https://maps.app.goo.gl/sNwXqK6gtXfrjHHT7, is not even a trunnion bridge.

1908-1909 Broken Down Dam on Otter Tail River near Fergus Falls, MN

(Satellite)

kiddle, License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike (CC BY-SA)
"The new dam began generating power in 1908. Engineers had unknowingly built the dam on top of a spring without having done proper site evaluations. By the following year the concrete foundations had been undermined by the spring flows. At 4:20 a.m. on September 24, 1909, dam attendants discovered the electric lights fading and water flowing over the powerhouse floor. They quickly fled along a railway embankment just as the 10-ton generator was swept into the river. They reached a farm, procured a team of horses, and headed towards Fergus Falls to raise alarm."

Dayton Hollow Dam, 5 miles (8.0 km) to the southwest, was saved from destruction. Its owner, president of the Otter Tail Power Company Vernon Wright, received enough advance warning to reach his dam by 6:15 a.m. and open the flood gates. Following the disaster, Otter Tail Power was engaged by the city to build their transmission lines into town. This helped spawn a local rumor, fueled by radical newspaper editor Haldor E. Boen, that Wright had deliberately destroyed City Dam by secretly distributing quicksilver (mercury) from a rowboat to undermine it. Later it was determined natural springs under its foundation made the dam's failure inevitable.

OtterTailLakesCountry

 

TheHistoryHandbook

John Lauritsen

This is a view of the upstream side.

OtterTailLakesCountry

saladfingers / Atlas Obscura User

3:14 video @ 0:28 via UnveiledLocal

"Art or Eyesore? The Graffiti Debate

"As you explore the Broken Down Dam, you’ll notice that it’s not just the natural beauty and history that draw people in—there’s also an ever-changing canvas of graffiti. Each year, new graffiti artists leave their mark, either by painting over existing art or finding untouched spots to add their own creations. The artwork isn’t confined to the dam’s crumbling concrete; you’ll find it on the rocks along the trail, the wooden planks of the walkway, and even a giant mushroom painted on a tree. This graffiti has sparked a bit of controversy among explorers and Fergus Falls residents. Some believe it detracts from the site’s historical significance, while others feel it adds a layer of modern beauty and expression to the landscape. Whether you view it as art or an eyesore, the graffiti certainly adds a unique dimension to the Broken Down Dam experience."

2:23 video @ 0:28

Pisagah, Dayton Hollow and Orwell Dams on Otter Tail River downstream of Fergus Falls, MN

1918 650kw Pisagah: (Satellite, built for electricity.)

1909: 970kw Dayton Hollow: (Satellite, built for electricity.)

1953 Orwell: (Satellite, built for flood control by the USACE.)

See "Wright, Hoot Lake and Taplin Gorge" for the other three hydropower plants operated by Otter Tail Power Company.

These hydropower plants received a FERC license for another 40 years of operation in 2022. [otpco]

1918 650kw Pisagah Dam

This powerhouse has been online since 1918 and generates 650kw. [FarmForum]

otpco_pdf, p4

Satellite

jfbrennan
In 2020, the spillway wall was replaced.

jfbrennan
Divers installed a wooden cofferdam on the spillway and a regular sheeting wall was used in the river for the cofferdam.

.

1909 970kw Dayton Hallow Dam

otpco_pdf, p2

"Completed in 1909, it is the first power plant built by the Otter Tail Power Company and is one of five dams on the river. Together, they produce about 3.5 megawatts of power." [kiddle]

This powerhouse generates 970kw. [FarmForum]

Satellite

When the City Light Dam, 5 miles (8km) northeast, collapsed, this dam was saved from destruction. Its owner, president of the Otter Tail Power Company Vernon Wright, received enough advance warning to reach his dam by 6:15 a.m. and open the flood gates. Following the disaster, Otter Tail Power was engaged by the city to build their transmission lines into town. This helped spawn a local rumor, fueled by radical newspaper editor Haldor E. Boen, that Wright had deliberately destroyed City Dam by secretly distributing quicksilver (mercury) from a rowboat to undermine it. Later it was determined natural springs under its foundation made the dam's failure inevitable.

Otter Tail County Historical Society posted

ebay, the backside was cropped off

.

1953 Orwell Dam

 

Satellite

 

USACE
"Owned and operated by the Corps of Engineers, the 71-year-old dam was constructed in 1953 with a height of 60 feet and a length of 1,344 feet at its crest."
[Given that the Otter Tail River has enough flow for five hydropower dams to be built near Fergus Falls, why doesn't the USACE take advantage of a 60' head and generate electricity?]

USACE, St. Paul District posted
In celebration of our 250th anniversary, we #TBT to February 27, 2004, when the #MinnesotaSocietyOfProfessionalEngineers named the Orwell Dam rehabilitation and renovation project as one of the Seven Wonders of Engineering in #Minnesota.  The original building of the Dam was completed in 1953.  It can store 8,600 acre-feet of water and is a key component in a comprehensive flood control plan for the #RedRiver of the North.  The dam is located near Fergus Falls, Minnesota.

John Fromuth: This photo was taken at the 2020.

Bill Long: Orwell was part of the Lake Traverse project when I was there from 1995 to 2000.

[This project cost $4.7m. [Otter Tail County Historical Society post]]

Wright, Hoot Lake and Taplin Gorge Hydropower Plants near Fergus Falls, MN

The five dams are Dayton Hollow, Hoot Lake, Pisgah, Taplin Gorge (Friberg) and Wright (Central). Together, they produce about 3.5 megawatts of power.

From upstream to downstream:

1925 560kw Taplin Gorge (Frigberg): (Dam: Satellite; Powerhouse: Satellite)

1914 670kw Hoot Lake: (Satellite)

1922 400kw Wright (Central): (Satellite)

1918 650kw Pisgah and 1909 970kw Dayton Hollow are in the "Pisagah, Dayton Hollow and Orwell Dams" notes.

Overview

These hydropower plants received a FERC license for another 40 years of operation in 2022. [otpco]

otpco_pdf, p6

otpco_hydroelectric

1925 560kw Taplin Gorge (Frigberg)

Jon Pontius, Nov 2024

 

otpco_pdf, p5

Wyatt W. Penke, Apr 2023

allamoni1234, Jul 2021

 

Wyatt W. Penke, Dec 2024

.

1914 670kw Hoot Lake

This hydroelectric plant was finished in 1914 with a capacity of 670kw. [FarmForum]

Starting in 1920 coal-fired units were added until 1964 to provide more electricity.

Jeremy Umlauf, May 2021

I presume that the outflow we see is from the cooling system of the coal-fired plant. This view shows us the gatehouse and the "water chute" to the plant.

otpco_pdf, p3

The water chute for the hydropower plant is fed by a canal from Wright Lake.

Satellite

The blue circle highlights the hydroplant; green is the headrace; yellow is the tailrace; and red is the surge tank. (This satellite image is from an earlier draft. That is why the coal-fired plant still appears int he image.)

Satellite plus Paint

Those headrace must be on a bluff to provide the 68' (21m) head for the water. I used this topo map to confirm that there are dense contour lines between the powerhouse and the headrace.

1973/75 Fergus Falls Quad @ 24,000

Wright Lake is fed by Hoot Lake. And Hoot Lake is fed by a diversion dam, canal, and aqueduct under a ridge. Because the river winds around the area, the distance to the dam is much further up the river than the distance to the diversion dam. (It looks like they labeled the dam a Gravel Pit. I think that is a mistake.)

1973/75 Fergus Falls and Wall Lake Quads @ 24,000

After I had written the above, I found that I had already written some notes.

Adam Bibeau commented on a post

The leather belts caught my eye in this view.

Jeremy Umlauf, May 2021

Jeremy Umlauf, May 2021

Diversion dam:

Satellite

Street View, Sep 2008

The entire water flow. The diversion dam is in the upper-right corner and the plant is near the lower-left corner.

1973 Fergus Falls Quad @ 24,000

.

1922 400kw Wright (Central)

otpco_pdf, p1

That is an interesting handrail on the bridge.

Street View, Jul 2024

Sylvan Slough Bridges at Moline, IL

1872: (Archived Bridge Hunter, Bridge Hunter) 15th Street Bridge

1932: (Archived Bridge Hunter, Bridge Hunter) Sylvan Slough Bridge

1981: (Satellite, Rodman Avenue/16th Street) Also Sylvan Slough Bridge

Retro Quad Cities posted
On August 1st of 1930, the construction began on the New Moline Bridge. It was located at the foot of 16th Street to Arsenal Island with a cost of $8,500,000. During its construction an ancient piece of pottery was discovered imbedded in the Mississippi river 10 feet below the water line. The pottery resembled a cuspidor. It has the figures 1813 scratched on it.

1872 Bridge

ArchivedBridgeHunter_1872, Public Domain: Published Prior to 1923

BridgeHunter_1872

1932 Bridge

Boston Public Library Flickr, License: Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY)

Government Bridge between Moline, Illinois and Rock Island Arsenal

File name: 06_10_013505

Title: Government Bridge between Moline, Illinois and Rock Island Arsenal

Date issued: 1930 - 1945 (approximate)

Physical description: 1 print (postcard) : linen texture, color ; 3 1/2 x 5 1/2 in.

Genre: Postcards

Subject: Bridges; Rivers

Notes: Title from item.

Collection: The Tichnor Brothers Collection

Location: Boston Public Library, Print Department

Rights: No known restrictions

BridgeHunter_1932

1981 Bridge

Boat View, Oct 2015, looking upstream

Boat View, Oct 2015