'Aesthetically pleasing' 170 Street pedestrian bridge near WEM getting final touches
It may look a little like the Walterdale Bridge, white steel with a gentle arch, but the science behind the new $10 million pedestrian crossing over 170 Street is quite a bit different.
The river-valley Walterdale is of the suspension-arch variety while the new 170 Street crossing is a truss-type structure, the city's project manager explained Friday.
"(It's) called a Warren Truss structure which uses a weight-saving design concept where the top and bottom part of the truss members are connected with diagonal members to create equilateral triangles to carry the load of the bridge," said Malika Ali.
But Ali says, like the signature Walterdale, there was an effort made to make the crossing look better than the concrete and chain link structure that used to be there.
"There won't be a chain link fence, there will be a pedestrian rail on this bridge," Ali said.
"While it's not like the Walterdale Bridge, it's designed to be aesthetically pleasing and promote an openness of space so that user can enjoy the nearby surroundings."
The bridge could be seen on the side of 170 Street near 90 Avenue Friday where crews were welding the structure together. Ali didn't provide an exact date for when it will be erected but said progress is "weather dependent."
The old bridge that connected West Edmonton Mall to the West Meadowlark neighbourhood was demolished in 2018 after engineers found that the crumbling structure “posed significant risk to public safety.”
West Edmonton Mall demolished this footbridge, and appealed the city's condition to build a new one.
After some uncertainty on replacement, it was agreed that the new bridge be built south of the former site and closer to the Misericordia Hospital. WEM has agreed to pay $2 million of the cost, with the City of Edmonton paying the rest.
The city initially estimated the bridge would be complete in fall 2022, but Ali said she expects it to be open for pedestrians early next year.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Evan Kenny
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Canada expands list of banned firearms to include hundreds of new models and variants
The Canadian government is expanding its list of banned firearms, adding hundreds of additional makes, models and their variants, effective immediately.
Could the discovery of an injured, emaciated dog help solve the mystery of a missing B.C. man?
When paramedic Jim Barnes left his home in Fort St. John to go hunting on Oct. 18, he asked his partner Micaela Sawyer — who’s also a paramedic — if she wanted to join him. She declined, so Barnes took the couple’s dog Murphy, an 18-month-old red golden retriever with him.
The world has been warming faster than expected. Scientists now think they know why
Last year was the hottest on record, oceans boiled, glaciers melted at alarming rates, and it left scientists scrambling to understand exactly why.
The latest: Water bottle, protein bar wrapper may help identify shooter in UnitedHealthcare CEO's killing
The masked gunman who stalked and killed UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson used ammunition emblazoned with the words 'deny,' 'defend' and 'depose,' a law enforcement official said Thursday. Here's the latest.
7.0 earthquake off Northern California prompts brief tsunami warning
A 7.0 magnitude earthquake shook a large area of Northern California on Thursday, knocking items off grocery store shelves, sending children scrambling under desks and prompting a brief tsunami warning for 5.3 million people along the U.S. West Coast.
Saskatoon based dog rescue operator ordered to pay $27K for defamatory Facebook posts
A Saskatoon based dog rescue operator has been ordered to pay over $27,000 in damages to five women after a judge ruled she defamed them in several Facebook posts.
Pete Davidson, Jason Sudeikis and other former 'SNL' cast members reveal how little they got paid
Live from New York, it's revelations about paydays on 'Saturday Night Live.'
Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim admits to being 'orange pilled' in Bitcoin interview
Bitcoin is soaring to all-time highs, and Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim wants the city to get in on the action.
Man wanted for military desertion turns himself in at Canada-U.S. border
A man wanted for deserting the U.S. military 16 years ago was arrested at the border in Buffalo, N.Y. earlier this week.