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High Level Bridge

CplKlinger said:
Thanks a lot for the response, I appreciate that. From what I've heard, some parts of the upper deck, under the railway ties in particular, are in pretty rough shape, so I'm a little surprised to hear that they aren't going to do any work on it. Hopefully that means it's in good enough shape to last another 25 years until the next refurbishment.
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The project manager, Natalie Lazurko, said the ERRS could reach out to her for a meeting if they would like to discuss the project.

NatalieLazurko@edmonton.ca
 
TAS said:
I agree - this project is a major one to watch.

Back in 2022 - 3 options presented:
1. Repair to give bridge another 15 years.
2. Full rehab
3. Build 2nd bridge alongside or replace altogether.

City admin at that time recommended #2 at a projected cost of $135 to $270 million (then).

Now costs are higher. And other factors at play such as provincial rail.

Should city opt for #1 now just to buy time until rail master plan is finalized and seeing if provincial/federal money could be on the table. City in tough position here I think because I think there are a lot of uncertainties.

The active transportation group I'm with is meeting with city project coordinator today so we can highlight maintaining pedestrian/cycling access is critical in all options during any subsequent work.

Any questions people would like to see asked? I will give update but probably won't be much to say at this point.
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Can we get the feds and province to help fund a massive new bridge that includes rail please? Is that being explored?

I feel like not building a new bridge at this point is such a lost opportunity. This is an obvious choke point for congestion, it’s less safe for active modes, 109st intersection on the south side is a mess, the number of truck crashes is brutal, there’s no ability to handle rail, the winding roads cause accidents and are inefficient. It can become 2 way and vastly improve downtown to uni connectivity.

If we can find hundreds of millions for 50st overpass, terwillegar, Yellowhead, LRT, etc, then this has to be possible. Transformative opportunity.
 
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thommyjo said:
Can we get the feds and province to help fund a massive new bridge that includes rail please? Is that being explored?

I feel like not building a new bridge at this point is such a lost opportunity. This is an obvious choke point for congestion, it’s less safe for active modes, 109st intersection on the south side is a mess, the number of truck crashes is brutal, there’s no ability to handle rail, the winding roads cause accidents and are inefficient. It can become 2 way and vastly improve downtown to uni connectivity.

If we can find hundreds of millions for 50st overpass, terwillegar, Yellowhead, LRT, etc, then this has to be possible. Transformative opportunity.
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Agreed!

Apparently Knack is meeting with Smith this week and on the agenda is rail.
 
And the agenda is rail so that her loser husband can hawk his bologna skin sandwiches on the "future" trains......cause don't you know he owns a rail car restaurant in High River....that's the only reason Smitty is interested in "rail."
 
MacLac said:
And the agenda is rail so that her loser husband can hawk his bologna skin sandwiches on the "future" trains......cause don't you know he owns a rail car restaurant in High River....that's the only reason Smitty is interested in "rail."
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That's not the only reason lol. Smith previously said that she goes out of her way to ride rail systems in places she visits if she is able to; she genuinely believes in it.
 
MacLac said:
And the agenda is rail so that her loser husband can hawk his bologna skin sandwiches on the "future" trains......cause don't you know he owns a rail car restaurant in High River....that's the only reason Smitty is interested in "rail."
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Smitty is our version of: Kristi Noem, Caroline Leavitt, Tulsi Gabbard, Pam Bondi, Megan Kelly, Erika Kirk, Alina Habba and Lindsay Halligan all rolled into 1 disgusting vomitous slag heap......
 
CplKlinger said:
That's not the only reason lol. Smith previously said that she goes out of her way to ride rail systems in places she visits if she is able to; she genuinely believes in it.
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Yeah not a fan of Smith at all, but I hate to admit it, the rail nerd vibes are there and she's clearly one of us on that front lol
 
thommyjo said:
Can we get the feds and province to help fund a massive new bridge that includes rail please? Is that being explored?

I feel like not building a new bridge at this point is such a lost opportunity. This is an obvious choke point for congestion, it’s less safe for active modes, 109st intersection on the south side is a mess, the number of truck crashes is brutal, there’s no ability to handle rail, the winding roads cause accidents and are inefficient. It can become 2 way and vastly improve downtown to uni connectivity.

If we can find hundreds of millions for 50st overpass, terwillegar, Yellowhead, LRT, etc, then this has to be possible. Transformative opportunity.
Click to expand...
I feel like the big "problem" with getting a new bridge funded is that while all of those projects have a tangible and easily measurable impact in a larger area (save for the overpass, but that was the cheapest one of these), a new bridge would be a comparatively small project, with a limited perceived impact for most people, and a very high price tag. While some people (like most people of this forum, if not all) know how much of an impact it would have in the whole city, and all the potential it brings, it might be a hard sell, politically, for most of the population.

Now, the worst part is that we know it is inevitable that a new bridge will be needed. Be it now, in 20 or 50 years, and it would be much better to do it sooner rather than later, for many reason, from financial cost to the fact that it might end up costing us the High Level bridge entirely.
 
I remember reading some complaints after the Walterdale Bridge was completed. One of them really stood out, coming as it did from someone who was from the burbs and admittedly did not ever go downtown. She wrote that the bridge could have been much simpler and therefore cheaper, that it was a waste of money. Yup. Coulda thrown a big piece of wood across the river, too, why not?
We live downtown and see "the Walter" from our living room windows and love it to bits. But beyond that, I love seeing how many people come, obviously from other parts of the city, and stroll, take photos, picnic, hang out. It's become such a beautiful heart of our city and the river valley. I would hope that there are enough people who understand that something beautiful or historical or, better yet, both, is an integral part of what makes our city wonderful. Losing the High Level would be absolutely heartbreaking because, like the Walterdale now, it's an iconic part of Edmonton. I can't even fathom the river sans the solid beauty of that bridge.
 
ChazYEG said:
I feel like the big "problem" with getting a new bridge funded is that while all of those projects have a tangible and easily measurable impact in a larger area (save for the overpass, but that was the cheapest one of these), a new bridge would be a comparatively small project, with a limited perceived impact for most people, and a very high price tag. While some people (like most people of this forum, if not all) know how much of an impact it would have in the whole city, and all the potential it brings, it might be a hard sell, politically, for most of the population.

Now, the worst part is that we know it is inevitable that a new bridge will be needed. Be it now, in 20 or 50 years, and it would be much better to do it sooner rather than later, for many reason, from financial cost to the fact that it might end up costing us the High Level bridge entirely.
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Not sure I agree. I think many Edmontonians would see the benefit. Especially if it’s realigned, 4 lanes, both directions, and has potential for rail.

Anyone that’s driven the HLB can see the deficiencies. I’d imagine a lot more people have also driven it than have ever driven 50st for example.
 
BrettB said:
I'll be honest, after all the hand ringing on this forum about the destruction of the Wellington Bridge, I can't understand anyone contemplating the destruction of HLB.
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I don't think I've seen anyone advocate for it here. What I see is a lot of us concerned that this will be an inevitable fate if we don't get another bridge to replace it, so we can lower the load on the HLB and extend its lifespan.
 
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