Tentanda Via

There isn't much to say about the main storm sewer beneath the York University campus. Built c. 1963 to drain what would soon become Toronto's second major university, it's a round concrete pipe that is never larger than about 1800mm, and soon shrinks to more uncomfortable diameters. Running roughly west-southwest from the vicinity of Winters College, it passes beneath Vari Hall and the Ross Building before outfalling into the east side of Stong Pond.

Apart from a few lovely if rather constrained junction and slide chambers, the only notable feature is the unexplained use of cautionary chains on the downstream side of almost every access chamber, installed despite the conspicuous lack of any drop or other hazard that might make them necessary. Indeed, one of these chains is placed on the downstream side of a five foot slide, rather than upstream of it where it might serve some conceivable use.

And that's about that. Tentanda Via!

Map of sewer. Photographs are marked with a circle, click to open a popup on the map, click on the ensuing thumbnail to open the full version. All paths and photo locations are approximate.