Despite impassioned efforts to save the Cloverdale Footbridge, work began this week to remove the popular pedestrian crossing from Edmonton’s River Valley.
The bridge will be removed in nine sections and take several days to complete. Two berms were constructed in the North Saskatchewan River to hold the 300-tonne crane that will remove the bridge piece-by-piece.
As each section is taken off the bridge, it will be taken apart and disposed of. TransEd, the consortium of companies in charge of the bridge removal, said 90 per cent of the metal will be recycled.
The bridge is coming down to make way for construction of the Valley Line LRT.
“We have spent the past months planning and preparing for this, which enables the start of construction on the new Tawatinâ Bridge,” Larry Melton, project director with TransEd, said.
READ MORE: Protesters show up for Valley Line LRT groundbreaking
The Tawatinâ is the new LRT bridge, which will also allow for pedestrian traffic. The teardown comes after a group called Save Edmonton’s Downtwon Footbridge did everything it could to save the old structure.
The group’s battle led them to court where they sought an injunction to halt the demolition. A Court of Queen’s Bench judge denied that request in August.
READ MORE: Edmonton judge denies last-ditch effort to save Cloverdale Footbridge
“We know that some Edmontonians are sad to see the removal of the Cloverdale Footbridge, but we want to assure them that the new Tawatinâ Bridge will provide the same connectivity between downtown and the river valley, through the multi-use path that runs under the rail deck,” Melton said.
After the footbridge comes down, work will begin on the Tawatinâ Bridge. Work in the area will take place up to seven days a week, between 7 a.m. and 9 p.m. Monday through Saturday and between 9 a.m. and 7 p.m. on Sundays.
Construction of the new bridge is expected to be complete in 2019, with service on the Valley Line expected to start in December 2020.
Comments