Calgary’s historic Zoo Bridge on 12 Street S.E. will be torn down earlier than expected.
The iconic bridge was originally supposed to remain in place until a replacement was constructed in 2018, but it will now be removed this spring.
The City of Calgary said a third-party engineering consultant was hired in November 2016 to inspect the old bridge, and the inspection showed it was deteriorating faster than anticipated.
“We wanted to prevent any risk to the public,” structural engineer Katherine Hikita said. “We are being proactive and taking it out at the next opportunity.”
Hikita said at least part of the bridge, built in 1908, will be salvaged.
“We can reuse it in commemoration of the old bridge and the landscaping,” she said. “We’ll be working with the public and incorporating their input into the landscaping and that commemoration piece.”
The removal of the existing bridge will help cut some costs.
“It’s actually a positive for the budget,” Hikita said. “We’re actually going to be using the same crane to build the bridge and remove the old bridge. So it actually save us from mobilizing a crane in 2018 to remove the old bridge.”
The city said removal of the old bridge will not impact the construction schedule of the new bridge. The new 12 Street S.E. Bridge and Zoo Road will both be open in late 2017, as planned.
Eventually, the City of Calgary will also replace the 9 Avenue S.E. Bridge as well. Construction on that project is anticipated to begin in 2018.
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