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High Level Bridge

'It’s very Edmontonian': Idea aims to connect downtown Edmonton with South through a leisure pathway
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A group of Edmontonians have pitched an ambitious idea to use green space to link downtown with Old Strathcona.

The High Level Line project, which would see a 4.3-kilometre strip of parkland run from north of Jasper Ave to Whyte Avenue, is the brainchild of a group of architects, landscape architects, engineers and urban planners.

“The river valley, as amazing and beautiful as it is, has long acted as a barrier between those two areas,” said landscape architect Kevin Dieterman.

“So we studied achieving that connectivity.”

So far, the High Level Line is just an idea, and they don’t know how much it would cost or how it would be built. For now, they want Edmontonians to think about it.

“We are really just interested in generating a conversation about the idea and getting the idea out there and having people contribute to it, add to it and test whether this is a great solution for Edmonton,” Dieterman said.

“We are just drawing this out there like, ‘Hey, wouldn’t it be cool if Edmonton looked like this?’” he said.
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http://www.metronews.ca/news/edmont...ton-with-south-through-a-leisure-pathway.html

Architects propose park to connect downtown with Whyte Avenue
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Bird's-eye-view looking north over expanded Ezio Faraone Park. (High Level Line )

A local collective has a bold new vision for central Edmonton that includes a park that would connect downtown with Whyte Avenue.

Architect Michael Zabinski, along with a group of young creative and design professionals, has been working on the High Level Line project for a year.

Their proposal includes a four-kilometre park made up of pedestrian paths, a cycling network, and a streetcar to connect downtown to Whyte Avenue, putting a fresh, user-friendly spin on the neighbourhoods between them.

"We are a city with two really awesome cultural centres, downtown and Whyte Avenue," said Zabinski.

"And for the longest time, people have gone to Whyte or they go downtown. What's missing is the link between the two — the urban thread that makes central Edmonton one place and one destination, that connects the city's two centres and creates a dynamic experience between the two."

The park would run from MacEwan University all the way to Whyte Avenue at 104th Street. The plan calls for a transformation of the North Saskatchewan River valley, and the neighbourhoods of Strathcona, Garneau, Grandin and Oliver.
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http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmon...e-bike-paths-streetcar-river-valley-1.4350604
 
I am attaching two renderings related to the "Rail Shack" concept whereby specific purpose cars -- in this case an eatery -- would sit on spur lines adjacent to the main street car line. These are my own copyrighted designs belonging to my company 'Dezign 2 the 9z'. To help this park/streetcar concept move ahead I am going to propose building -- initially 3 -- and ultimately a dozen or more of these, clustered at make-sense nodes like MacEwan Quad, Grandin/Legislature, and Old Strathcona.
Tingling, folks, tingling!
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Thanks, @Daveography, obviously I am quite excited by the possibilities. Over the years, as I have completed restaurant project after restaurant project and as I have been able to understand what motivates people to eat out (other than an inability to cook), I have come to think that these little ventures would be quite popular and therefore successful.
 
No, @darwink, I would have to (and am now in the process to) convince the City and Health jurisdictions of several things that separate this venture from food trucks. Food Trucks require a licensed food preparation area that enables fresh water to be provided and sewage to be circulated into the City system. In short, food trucks have to return "to base" every day and so are not allowed to remain in place over night. Obviously, it would be an onerous task if the "rail shacks" (I don't like the connotations that go along with the word "shack", but that aside for the moment) had to be hauled to a processing station nightly. I am working to overcome the sewage problem by having a companion module that would have pneumatic toilets/urinals like on aircraft where sinks drain into toilets and urinals and where toilets and urinals then flush with a high degree of suction pressure (hence the pneumatics) into a retention tank that can be remotely emptied from time to time into a truck-- in Germany they call them "honey wagons". The "honey wagons" (usually 2-ton trucks outfitted with a storage tank and a pneumatic pump) suck the waste from the toilet tanks and then are able, with a sprayer attachment at the rear, to spread the "honey" onto a fallow field where it can be worked into the soil, providing enrichment nutrients. The water, brought in from a separate vehicle, would replenish stainless steel storage tanks in the "rail shack". Waste kitchen water would be classified as "gray water" and could be used to nurture nearby plants or, alternatively, could also be hauled away. The restroom module would have accessible bathrooms at either end with a central space for storage of rechargeable batteries. There are numerous other technological gadgets that I have developed to make the venture self-sustaining, but, if I go into those, I will end up writing a book. Needless to say the whole affair has several patent-pending issuances.
 
Hauling it all away would probably be the most expedient solution regulatory wise, unless can find plazas where building hard connections in wouldn't be onerous.
 
Yikes.

Overall condition of the structure, including corrosion and loss of section of the steel members remains a serious concern since so much of the structure has lost strength. The coating is no longer protecting the steel in some areas; some of the connection plates have deteriorated due to section loss, and pack-rust is bending the plates and weakening the connection.

It is important to note that 1995 strengthening work did not restore the capacity of the structure to support rail loading; past damage and the current condition of the structure will both affect the ability of the structure to carry any proposed new large load increases.

...

From visual inspection and thickness measurements, we estimate that the average section loss of truss members that was 44% in 1994 has increased by 5%, which is also true of upper deck railway stringers and floor beams (58% and 50% respectively in 1994).
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https://www.edmonton.ca/documents/HighLevelBridgeFeasibilityReportExecSummary.pdf
 
Back to my idea of building a "living bridge" to the east of the present structure and repurposing the High Level as a high-end pedestrian experience with street cars on the upper deck.
 
Well, that sucks. Who officially owns it these days .. is it a provincial bridge with a city interest, or a city bridge with a provincial interest?
 
archited said:
Back to my idea of building a "living bridge" to the east of the present structure and repurposing the High Level as a high-end pedestrian experience with street cars on the upper deck.
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Honestly, that'll be the best thing to ever happen to this city. Connecting Whyte Ave/ Old Strathcona to downtown and legislature grounds with a green park overlooking the river and streetcars back and forth. It'll be a local and tourist attraction like nothing else. I'd just wish they'd connect a trolley/streetcar all the way up to Old McDonald hotel and the Quarters. That's dreaming but it would make it complete.
 
High Level Line Society aims to ramp up interest in plan for bridge-top urban park
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Since unveiling their preliminary designs, the project proponents have formed a non-profit society, met with designers, landowners, community leagues and government officials while courting prospective developers and financial backers.

On Thursday, the High Level Line team is hosting a launch party at downtown restaurant The Common in an attempt to drum up more support for the pitch and begin public consultations in earnest.

The High Level Line proposal also includes plans for "Track Shacks" — tiny buildings along the line which would provide recreation rentals and sell food, drink and locally made goods.

The team plans to erect a few of the shacks along the proposed route this summer to promote their plan.
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https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/high-level-line-edmonton-1.4752048
 
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