Calgary

Calgary Peace Bridge delayed, again

The controversial Peace Bridge in Calgary has been delayed once again after issues with concrete slabs on the bridge deck.

Alderman who supports the project wants a firm opening date

The Peace Bridge was slowly moved into place over the Bow River in November. (Leighton Klassen/CBC)

The controversial Peace Bridge in Calgary has been delayed again.

The pedestrian bridge over the Bow River was originally supposed to open in the fall of 2010.

The last tentative date for it to open was by the end of January.

Construction of the Santiago Calatrava-designed Peace Bridge was originally set to be complete in 2010. ((Santiago Calatrava))

Now, Ald. Druh Farrell says it will be sometime in the spring.

She says people waiting to use the bridge deserve to know when it will open, so the city should set a ribbon-cutting date.

Farrell says the latest issue is with the concrete slabs, which make up the deck of the span, as 10 per cent of the pieces were damaged.

"So now if you see the boarding that's up on the bridge right now, it's because they're pouring that concrete on site and that's why the temporary bridge is still in place because they're using that temporary bridge for equipment to pour the concrete on the decking," she said.

While the $24-million bridge project is behind schedule, Farrell says it remains on budget.

The city has a fixed-price contract for the bridge, so if there are any additional costs, they'll be paid by the contractor.