Sandy Beach Bridge opening marks milestone in flood recovery

Eighteen months after the June 2013 flood destroyed three wooden pedestrian bridges located along the Elbow River, The City of Calgary is ready to re-open the first one to be repaired, Sandy Beach Bridge located in Sandy Beach Park, southwest Calgary.

“Because they were such an important transportation link in the community, and for all Calgarians, The City of Calgary made it a priority to replace these bridges,” says His Worship, Mayor Naheed Nenshi. “The re-opening of this bridge represents a very tangible example of how the City, and the communities most affected by the flooding, continue to recover from the 2013 flood.”

Mayor Nenshi officially re-opened the bridge along with Minister Gordon Dirks, Member of the Legislative Assembly for Calgary Elbow and Joan Crockatt, Member of Parliament for Calgary Centre.

“The Sandy Beach footbridge is a key connection for Calgarians to their community and we are proud to celebrate this milestone of flood recovery with them. Our government remains committed to working with all of our municipal partners as they rebuild key infrastructure damaged by flood waters,” said Municipal Affairs Minister Diana McQueen.

The Province of Alberta has provided the majority of the funding for this $11.8 million project out of the Provincial Disaster Relief Program and the Provincial Flood Recovery Erosion Control Program.

The bridges are being re-built according to today’s engineering standards, with added flood resistant design features, such as bridge supports that can withstand high river flow, and concrete decks that are able to withstand debris impacts. The new bridges and decks are also built higher than the old bridges to allow more water to flow under them, and higher than the level of the 2013 flood.

The two other pedestrian bridges damaged in the flood of 2013, and also re-built as part of this project will open shortly after Sandy Beach Bridge - Rideau Park Bridge will open Nov. 28 and Riverdale Avenue Bridge will be open soon after.

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