Ward 11 Alderman Brian Pincott | City of Calgary Office of the Aldermen

Council decided last week to fund two new pedestrian bridges across the Bow River into downtown and there has been a lot of consternation about that decision since we made it. I thought I would share a bit of what we actually decided and my thoughts behind it. (and, yes, I did vote in favour of the bridges).

We agreed to spend $25 million on the design of two bridges and the construction of one. The second bridge will be paid for by CMLC rather than the City and taxpayers. These bridges are going across the Bow on either end of downtown, touching the west end of Prince's Island as it crosses on one end, and the other bridge touching St Patricks Island near the Zoo as it connects Bridgeland & the East Village. As you can see, the location of the two bridges is very prominent, framing downtown and crossing the river, and as such we agreed to allocate a design premium for these bridges.

Contrary to some of the information that has been in the media, the basic cost for a pedestrian bridge at this location is in the neighbourhood of $15 million, rather than the $3-5 million as suggested. This is a river crossing, and a wide one at that, so the straight comparison with a pedestrian bridge over a roadway is simply not valid. The estimate of the "design premium" for these bridges is in the neighbourhood of 20 - 25%. That is the basis of what we voted for, not the outlandish over expenditures that have been decried widely.

These bridges are important. As I said, they frame our downtown, they are important pieces of public infrastructure, and they should last for a very long time. We need these bridges from a pure mobility perspective as more and more people are moving into our downtown intent on walking to work every day. Getting people out of their cars is by far a cheaper approach than building more and more lanes of traffic, not to mention a much more sustainable choice for everyone.

Cities need public infrastructure of which they can be proud. Pedestrian bridges are one such thing. Just this week, we have celebrated the 100 year anniversary of Old City Hall, a public building that has stood the test of time, is a beautiful building, and shown off to all. Centre Street Bridge is another example of the City giving extra care to a piece of public infrastructure that has stood the test of time and which we show off proudly. These pedestrian bridges are no different. And if you are going to create special architecture, there is no better way, and no more cost effective way, to do it than with pedestrian bridges.

I think we made the right decision, and when I get a chance to explain the real numbers and the context of the decision, most people tend to agree. I look forward to the day that we have two beautiful (and functional) pedestrian connections in our downtown which will grace postcards and annual reports across Calgary!