The Walterdale Bridge was built in 1913, and needs more than just a fix-up job.
"The bridge is at the end of its serviceable life," said Robin Casavant, senior transportation engineer.
The city held an open house Thursday on replacing the bridge, and redeveloping the West Rossdale area.
City council wants to the new bridge to be more than just a structure, they want it to have style.
The city presented four different styles of bridges – girder, arch, cable stayed, and extradosed. A standard bridge would cost $65 million, plus the cost of road changes, but the style would determine the final cost of the project.
It has already been decided that one per cent of the budge will be spend incorporating public art into the bridge.
The open house was an opportunity for council to collect public input. That’s all they want to do for now, so they can send an interim plan to the transportation and public works committee in January. Public information sessions will follow in February and March before the final plan is presented to council in April.
The target is to have the new Walterdale Bridge up by 2014.
The open house also included a look into redeveloping the West Rossdale area – which will be affected by the alignment chosen for the bridge.
The plan for the neighbourhood includes 1,800 housing units and its main feature – Telus Field. Doug Carlyle, the prime consultant for the project, says the plan also includes wide boulevards, generous sidewalks, a riverfront promenade, with buildings no taller than the cupola of the legislature.
The plans should go to a public hearing in early 2011.
With files from The Edmonton Journal.
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