President’s
Message
by
Alex MacWilliam
Have
you ever asked yourself, “How did [insert name of Calgary community] get its
name?” It is safe to assume that Tuscany was not named because of vineyards and
medieval villages near Crowchild Trail. Likewise, Tuxedo Park does not appear
to have derived its name from a formal dress code followed by its population
nor from a resident colony of penguins. When it comes to our neighbourhood of
Bridgeland-Riverside, the answer to the question is pretty obvious. It’s
located beside the Bow River, and it’s connected to South Calgary by a number
of bridges. While I won’t give the City officials any credit for originality when
they officially named our community, I have to say their decision reflected a
large degree of practicality.
More
evidence to support the choice of the name Bridgeland will become evident over
the next few years. Recently, the BRCA Board received a presentation from the
City on the “Bridgeland-Riverside Multimodal Pedestrian Bridge Project”. This
project will consist of two bridges – a new bridge to replace the existing
bridge that crosses Memorial Drive and connects the community to
Bridgeland-Memorial LRT Station and pathway on the north bank of the Bow River;
and a new bridge from the north bank over the Bow River to St. Patrick’s
Island. The project is designed to provide a direct connection between our
community and St. Patrick’s Island, and to improve access and safety.
The
project is divided into two stages of construction, with Stage One being
construction of the new bride from the north bank of the river to St. Patrick’s
Island and Stage Two being replacement of the existing bridge that connects the
community to the LRT Station and the pathway on the north bank of the river.
The City hopes to commence construction on Stage One this year, with design
work being finalized now and contractor selection about to occur. Scheduling of
Stage Two work will take place in the following years. The design that was
presented to the BRCA Board will replace the existing “corkscrew” on the south
side of Memorial Drive with broad, open gentle ramps. The vegetation along the
river will be thinned out to provide a safer environment along the paths. Renderings
of Stage One can be viewed on the project website at calgary.ca/planning/projects/bridgeland-riverside-bridge.html.
Funding
for Stage One is coming from the Calgary General Hospital Legacy Fund, which
received the annual investment return on net proceeds from the sales and leases
of the former Calgary General Hospital and Bow Valley Centre lands. The Fund
was created in 1997, prior to the implosion and demolition of the Hospital.
Construction
of Stage One will involve some temporary disruption to the existing paths, and
the City has advised us that it will be communicating with the community in
advance of any closures or detours. The City also advised that access to the
Bridgeland Memorial LRT station will be maintained during project work. BRCA
will also provide updates through our social media and website as further
information is received.
Click here to the Bridgeland/Riverside Community News home page for the latest Bridgeland/Riverside community updates.
