Flood-damaged river pathway system aims to re-open by mid-June

CALGARY – The city of Calgary hopes to have a major part of the river pathway system back open by mid-June, two years after the devastation of the 2013 flooding.

Three key points in and around Stanley Park are being restored and strengthened—but work is only allowed in the Elbow River from April to mid-June so as not to destroy the fish population.

“We can still do work off the banks in the area after fish windows close, but we want to get everything done so we can get those pathways open,” said Duane Sutherland, city lead with the Parks pathways and trails department.

There were 93 km of pathways wrecked by the flooding—about nine remain closed. Cyclists are hoping the pathways will be back as soon as possible.

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“There was a  ton of damage when the flood happened…it wasn’t anybody’s fault and it’s not anybody’s fault it’s taking time to fix, I don’t think, but it will be nice when it’s done,” said cyclist Tom Davis.

Calgary volunteer group Bike Calgary estimates about 40,000 cyclists use the pathways each day, as well as up to 100,000 pedestrians.

“The fact we got all of our bridges up especially along Elbow River as soon as we did—they were ahead of schedule and beautiful,” said Bike Calgary president Kimberley Nelson.

Trouble spots remain damaged, including Fish Creek Park, which is a provincial responsibility.

“There is still a lot of damage that wasn’t resolved form 2008 and still ongoing from the 2013 floods,” said Nelson. “The other concern is the detours aren’t very well-marked.”

The city says detours near damaged areas can be challenging to create, but it hopes to have most of the work done by the end of the month, and all 800 km of pathways open by the end of summer.

“So much work, so much damage done to the river bank itself,” said Sutherland. “In a lot of areas…the pathway really was still usable, but we had to get in there and protect the river bank. So it takes time and it takes all kinds of permitting to get permission to go in and do the work required.”

For a full list of pathway closures, visit the City of Calgary website here.