Sherman Avenue is a collector road in the lower portion of Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. It begins at the Niagara Escarpment ('The Mountain') just south of Cumberland Avenue and is a one-way street bisecting the industrialized northern neighbourhoods of the city. It ends at Ship Street — the site of Steel Company of Canada (Stelco).
Upper Sherman Avenue is located on the top of escarpment, running roughly from North to South, starting from Concession Street to Rymal Road. It does not directly connect with Sherman Avenue below.
The two Shermans are a former sideroad between lots 8 and 9 of the former Barton Township.[1][note 1]
The Sherman Cut is a rock cut through the brow of the escarpment. Beginning at Crockett Street, it runs downhill and north, parallel to Upper Sherman. It passes under Concession Street and Mountain Park Avenue, coming to an end at a tee-intersection with the Sherman Access. Photos Video. In 2019, the Cut handled 21,392 car trips per day.[2]
The Sherman Access runs diagonally down the slope of the escarpment. From the base of the Sherman Cut, it has two legs. The west leg (originally known as Mountain Boulevard)[3] proceeds downhill, and makes a sharp hairpin turn in the area of the Jolley Cut and the Claremont Access. It ends in a tee intersection with Charlton Avenue East. The east leg proceeds downhill until it intercepts the Kenilworth Access.
The Sherman Access has reversible lanes. It is the only mountain access with time restrictions. The northbound (downhill) is open to traffic for the morning rush; while the southbound (uphill) is open to traffic during the afternoon rush. The rest of the time, it operates as a regular two-lane road.[4]
The Sherman Access was constructed in 1929, passing under the Wentworth Incline Railway.[5] From 1937 to 1956, Highway 55 travelled over portions of Gage Road, Crockett Street, Sherman Cut, and the west leg of the Sherman Access.[3]Map
Due to the continuing erosion of the escarpment, the Access has been closed several times due to rock falls: in 2012[6] 2016[7] and 2018.[8] Each rockfall costs (in 2016) between $25,000 to $500,000 for the city to clean up.[9] Hamilton has 16 escarpment crossings, each of which is inspected daily.[10] The Access was closed for major, half-year repairs in 2017[11] and for six weeks in 2021.[12]
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