Calgary’s Chinook Centre pedestrian bridge design revealed

The City of Calgary’s design for a $13-million pedestrian bridge leading to Chinook Centre was officially released Friday.

The new bridge, spanning over Macleod Trail and 61 Avenue S.W. before connecting to the shopping mall, will include elevators and escalators to make travelling easier for those on foot.

“The intersection of Macleod Trail and 61 Ave S.W. is one of the busiest pedestrian intersections outside the downtown core,” said Jason Lin, senior structural engineer for the city.

“On average, more than 2,000 pedestrians and 30,000 vehicles pass through the intersection every day.”

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Cadillac Fairview Corp Ltd., which owns CF Chinook Centre, will contribute $6.5 to cover half the costs, while the city will be covering the other half.

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The private bridge component, which Cadillac Fairview will fully cover, includes the section of the bridge between Macleod Trail and over the current outdoor parking stalls to the shopping centre.

The city will cover the public bridge component, which starts near the CIBC Bank on Macleod and continues to the edge of the mall parking lot.

Although private companies paying for city infrastructure is “not the norm,” according to Lin, “it’s not atypical either.”

The plans for the overhead bridge have been in the works since the Chinook Station Area Plan (2008).

Construction is slated to begin next month and is expected to run until completion in late 2017.