The City of Edmonton is being taken to court by a group of residents upset about the loss of a pedestrian bridge across the North Saskatchewan River.
The group, called Save Edmonton’s Downtown Footbridge, is seeking an injunction in Court of Queen’s Bench to halt the demolition of the bridge to make way for a new Valley Line LRT bridge, citing an old agreement signed by the city and province in the 1970s.
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“If the city is going to do something on this kind of a scale – in other words, put another transportation corridor through the River Valley – then they need to get the province’s approval,” Eric Gormley said.
“It’s important to note that we’re not trying to halt the entire project; we’re just really trying to get the city to rethink the river crossing part of it.”
Construction on the new LRT line, which will bring passengers from southeast Edmonton downtown, is just getting underway after years of debate.
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“This decision took place over the last seven years and it is really time to move forward with LRT construction,” Ward 1 councillor Andrew Knack said.
The footbridge is now closed to residents, and heavy equipment is being put in place for its demolition in the coming weeks.
Once completed, the new LRT bridge will allow for pedestrian traffic as well.
The case will go before a judge on Aug. 16.