Pedestrians on Calgary’s river pathways have a new connection between Prince’s Island Park and Eau Claire.
The new Jaipur Bridge opened on Monday, a replacement for the original bridge that stood in its place for more than 50 years.
The original bridge was closed in 2019 when it was determined to be at the end of its lifespan after a safety inspection revealed “accelerated deterioration.”
Construction began on its replacement in July 2021 after months of discussions around its design.
“The involvement of the residents and businesses throughout this project was invaluable. The new bridge adds character and new life to this area,” Ward 7 Coun. Terry Wong said in a statement. “It will continue to be an important gathering place for Calgarians to enjoy for decades to come.”
The new Jaipur Bridge features a wider bridge deck to allow more space for users, it’s also more than one metre higher than its predecessor in an effort to increase the structure’s flood resilience.
“The one thing we really wanted to improve on from the original bridge is probably its width,” the bridge’s project manager Devon Moore said. “As you know, this island gets very busy in the summer, we wanted to make sure that we could accommodate those large crowds.”
The bridge has a 100-year service life and had an $11.4 million budget for its design and construction.
The design team also worked with the Jaipur-Calgary Foundation to ensure it was respectful of the origin of its name — the Pink City of Jaipur in India, which is Calgary’s sister city.
“We were honoured in 1994 to have Maharaj (Prince) Jai Singh come to Calgary, especially for the naming of the bridge Jaipur,” Calgary-Jaipur Development Foundation president Omkar Nath Channan said. “I am certain that the bridge will carry on the respect honoured that day and serve well the needs of those who travel across the bridge.
“It holds the very important role of proving a connection in the heart of downtown Calgary.”
According to the city, the bridge’s construction was done in conjunction with several ongoing projects in the Eau Claire area as part of improvements to the plaza, enhanced safety measures, vibrancy projects and flood mitigation work along the river path.
The city said it worked to align construction timelines, and coordinate the projects to help reduce disruptions and impacts on people in the area.
“It’s a really unique opportunity for the city in this area as we have many other construction projects happening at the same time,” Eau Claire Improvements program lead Dennis Hoffart said. “For us really to coordinate those projects and make sure the design flows seamlessly at the end of the day — we really see a glimpse of that with this bridge opening up.”
With the new Jaipur Bridge now allowing access from Eau Claire to Prince’s Island Park, the city will be closing the pedestrian bridge to the island from 2 Street S.W. to continue work on the Downtown Flood Barrier.
The completion date for the other projects in the area is fall 2023, but Moore said Calgarians will notice “significant amounts” of work being completed by the end of 2022, with large areas of the Eau Claire plaza reopening to pedestrian traffic.
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