Roger Dorton

Graduated from Nottingham University and received his Ph. D. in 1954, and emigrated to Canada. In 1956 joined the office of P.L. Pratley, working on the design of three bridges over the St. Lawrence River, including the Champlain Bridge in Montreal. Declared the winner of the Expo ’67 Bridge design competition in 1965, and with the partnership of Pratley and Dorton designed the 19 Expo canal bridges, followed by the A. Murray MacKay suspension bridge in Halifax.

In 1972 joined the Ontario Ministry of Transportation and carried out bridge research and code development, and was Chief Bridge Engineer from 1975 to 1992. The largest project was the twinning of the Burlington Skyway, and the renovation of the old structure. In 1993 he joined Buckland & Taylor, and was design manager for the twinning of the Bluewater Bridge, in Sarnia, and for the renovation of the original bridge. Was review consultant for the major renovation of the Lions’ Gate suspension bridge in Vancouver. In retirement, his main interest is in engineering history and heritage bridges.

Active in engineering societies, he has been the recipient of many awards, and has authored over 60 papers in bridge engineering. He has received honorary doctorates from Queen’s University and the University of Waterloo, and in 2004 was appointed a member of the Order of Canada.