Two of Calgary’s oldest bridges to receive makeovers

CALGARY- The Calgary Zoo is among several stakeholders weighing in the development of two new bridges approved in the city budget.

The Ninth Avenue bridge and the 12th Street bridge are two of Calgary’s oldest, and have been crucial links connecting the community of Inglewood to both the downtown and Bridgeland for decades.

The 12^th Street bridge suffered some damage in the 2013 flood and some city officials say it’s time to replace it.

Some members of the Inglewood community hope to see the 12^th Street bridge become a span to be used by pedestrians.

“Our main concern is we want a bridge that reflects the spirit of Inglewood,” says Rebecca O’Brien, the executive director of the Inglewood BRZ. “We want a bridge that is architecturally interesting… that is walkable, bikeable.”

But the Calgary Zoo is another important stakeholder that says it needs cars to be able to use the bridge.

“It’s important for us for vehicle traffic,” says Darryl Dziadyk of the Calgary Zoo.

The Zoo is one of Calgary’s most popular attractions, bringing in 1.3 million visitors a year and says it needs better access and more parking space.

Gian-Carlo Carra, the Ward 9 city councillor, says the city will soon beginning discussing specific plans.

“We talked about whether it’s necessary… whether a pedestrian link would be good,” says Carra. “We talked about whether we maintain the the old bridge as a pedestrian only use and have an automobile bridge next to it.”

Plans have yet to be decided on for the 9^th Avenue bridge which sees over 20,000 vehicles cross it every day.

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The budget for both is $30 million and construction is set to begin in the spring of 2016.

The city is planning to host open houses in the new year so Calgarians can have input on the plans.

-with files from Doug Vaessen