EDMONTON – After making their voices heard during the Valley Line LRT groundbreaking Friday, river valley enthusiasts held a protest to save the Cloverdale Footbridge Saturday afternoon.
The bridge is slated to be torn down to make room for the southeast extension of Edmonton’s LRT. Once complete, the LRT bridge will also feature a pedestrian crossing.
According to Save the Footbridge organizer Kristine Kowalchuk, up to 2,000 people use the bridge on weekdays, with that number growing to 2,300 on weekends.
“There are diverse people coming here, all times of day, 365 days a year,” she said. “All ages, all abilities, for all kinds of reasons.”
The city estimates 31,000 people will use the Valley Line LRT everyday once it’s up and running – they suggest the route will also help take 17,000 cars off the road.
Kowalchuk said she is not opposed to the construction of the Valley Line, but wants to see another route.
“We’re standing up for the River Valley,” she said. “We’re also standing up for public transit that is convenient, affordable and sustainable.”
The city is already moving ahead with construction, but Kowalchuk is still hopeful something can be done to save the bridge.
“It’s not too late. It’s not too late at all,” she said. “There are so many people who don’t want this project to go through. People care about the river valley from all across the city and beyond.”
At the groundbreaking for the LRT extension Friday, Mayor Don Iveson spoke about the protesters.
“I can’t tell you the amount of staff time my office spent and that city engineers spent looking at alternatives, evaluating their proposals. Unfortunately none of them perform as well as the route that council selected and is committed to. So I hear their frustration but it’s time to move on and build this project.”
Protesters gathered at the footbridge Saturday afternoon before making their way toward City Hall.
“We want the city to put a stop to this plan right now,” Kowalchuk said.