Calgary

Crowchild bridge pedestrian crossing on track to reopen this fall

The river crossing was closed last November to accommodate work on upgrades to the expressway, but the anticipated spring reopening was delayed due to the harsh winter.

River crossing currently closed as expressway gets $87M makeover

The pedestrian bridge underneath Crowchild Trail where it crosses the Bow River will remain closed until the fall, the city says (Colleen Underwood/CBC)

The City of Calgary says the reopening of the Crowchild Trail pedestrian underpass is still on track for the fall.

The river crossing was closed last November to accommodate work on upgrades to the expressway, but the anticipated spring reopening was delayed due to the harsh winter.

The city says crews have been working around the clock to ensure the pedestrian bridge can safely re-open and they say there are a few more details to iron out before that can happen.

The $87-million project to widen and modernize Crowchild Trail where it crosses the river is slated for completion in the fall of 2019.

Work currently underway includes:

  • Adding a northbound and southbound traffic lane on Crowchild Trail between Memorial Drive and Bow Trail (an estimated two-year job).
  • Completing life-cycle maintenance and rehabilitation on the bridges over Memorial Drive, the Bow River and Bow Trail (an estimated two-year job).
  • Moving the on-ramps that lead from westbound Bow Trail/10th Avenue S.W. onto northbound Crowchild Trail to the east side of the expressway (an estimated one-year job).
  • The addition of a northbound lane between Memorial Drive and Fifth Avenue N.W. and repositioning the off-ramp from northbound Crowchild to eastbound Memorial.

Related work is also planned farther to the north, including noise walls along Crowchild Trail near 16th Avenue N.W. and a new ramp to connect westbound 16th Avenue with northbound Crowchild Trail.

The pedestrian bridge over the Bow River had to be closed while crews work to modernize and widen Crowchild Trail above it. (Colleen Underwood/CBC)