High Level Bridge (Edmonton)

High Level Bridge
Edmonton's High Level Bridge from north bank, above LRT portal, September 2006
Coordinates	53°31′50″N 113°30′40″W / 53.5305°N 113.5111°WCoordinates: 53°31′50″N 113°30′40″W / 53.5305°N 113.5111°W
Carries	109 Street, High Level Bridge Streetcar
Crosses	North Saskatchewan River
Locale	Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
Maintained by	the City of Edmonton
Heritage status	Municipal Historic Resource
Characteristics
Design	Phillips B. Motley, CPR
Material	Steel Trusses on Concrete Piers
Total length	777 m (2,549 ft)
Width	2 vehicular lanes, one-way
Longest span	88 m (289 ft)
Number of spans	28
Piers in water	4
Clearance below	48m
History
Constructed by	John B. Gunn and Sons[1]
Opened	June 2, 1913[2]

The High Level Bridge is a bridge that spans the North Saskatchewan River in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Located next to the Alberta Legislature Building, the bridge linked the separate communities of Edmonton and Strathcona, which became one city in 1912. It was designed from the outset to accommodate rail, streetcar, automobile and pedestrian traffic. The bridge was designated a Municipal Historic Resource in 1995.^[3] Trucks are prohibited on the bridge due to the low clearance of 3.2 metres (10 ft 6 in) and substandard lane width, despite the bridge being classified as a 24-hour truck route on city maps.^[4] Currently street traffic is one-way southbound. At the north end of the bridge 109 Street becomes the left lane, and 110 Street becomes the right lane. The next bridge downstream, the Walterdale Bridge, is a two-lane bridge with one-way northbound traffic into the downtown.

The Canadian Pacific Railway, responsible for the design of the bridge, ceased rail operations over the span in 1989. The upper deck contains only one track now, which is currently used only by the High Level Bridge Streetcar, a historic streetcar route that travels from the Strathcona Streetcar Barn & Museum, just north of the Strathcona Farmers Market, in Old Strathcona, to Jasper Plaza south of Jasper Avenue, between 109 Street and 110 Street, in downtown, with three intermediate stops.

Extensive repairs and the addition and widening of pedestrian sidewalks were completed in 1994–95. The original lead paint on the bridge was carefully removed, and over 100,000 litres of paint were used to recoat the girders.^[1]

The Edmonton-area Ritual of the Calling of an Engineer uses a rivet hammer purportedly used in the bridge's construction as part of its ceremony.

In June 2009 the electrical wires supporting trolley bus operation on 109 Street were removed as part of the City of Edmonton's plan to retire trolley buses from service.

Every year at the end of October (Breast Cancer Awareness Month), CHBN-FM (91.7 The Bounce) strings bras across the bridge for breast cancer awareness and research donation.

High Level Bridge under construction, 1912 or 1913

Light the Bridge

In April 2013, a campaign called Light the Bridge was launched, with the aim of covering the bridge with LED lights so it can light up on special occasions.^[5]

The campaign raised approximately $2.5 million for the project, which was unveiled on July 1, 2014. The official lighting of the bridge was synchronized to the tune of "O Canada", played by the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra and broadcast on CKUA radio.^[6] The lights are capable of displaying many different colours and are often programmed to coordinate with local events, such as green and gold for games played by the Edmonton Eskimos.^[7]

Great Divide Waterfall

The Great Divide Waterfall during the annual sourdough raft race, July 2001

In 1980 the Great Divide Waterfall by artist Peter Lewis was added to the structure for Alberta's 75th anniversary. The man-made waterfall dropped 64 m (210 ft) from the top of the bridge, (7 m higher than Niagara Falls) into the North Saskatchewan River at a rate of 50,000 litres per minute. It operated during holiday weekends in the summer months until 2009 when it was shut off after consultation with Environment Canada.^[8] From roughly April 2012 to April 2013, city council deliberated on whether or not it should re-open the waterfall, and in 2013, $735 000 was allocated for "Great Divide waterfall refurbishment",^[9] As of 2014, the city has all but scrapped the plans to refurbish the waterfall, citing the estimated $2.6 million price tag as too high. The final decision to decommission the waterfall will be stayed until fall 2014, as public reaction is gauged and community fundraising options are considered.^[10]

See also

• High Level Bridge Streetcar

References

1. Herzog, Lawrence (February 16, 2006). "Edmonton's "Golden Gate" bridge". Edmonton Real Estate Weekly. Realtors Association of Edmonton. Retrieved November 24, 2012.
2. Cashman, Anthony Walcott (1976). Best Edmonton Stories. Edmonton: Hurtig. p. 120. ISBN 0-88830-106-5.
3. "Alberta Register Historic Places – High Level Bridge". HeRMIS. Retrieved 2010-03-03.
4. "Height Restriction List" (PDF). City of Edmonton. January 2008. Retrieved January 9, 2013.
5. Hoang, Linda (April 29, 2013). "High Level Bridge lights project a 'signature' for world to see, donations start to come in". CTV Edmonton. Bell Media. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
6. Wittmeier, Brent (June 30, 2014). "Edmonton's Canada Day spectacular features Light the Bridge debut and fireworks (with video)". Edmonton Journal. Postmedia Network. Archived from the original on August 7, 2014. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
7. Mertz, Emily (October 25, 2013). "Light the Bridge campaign crosses halfway mark". Global Edmonton. Shaw Media. Retrieved August 7, 2014.
8. "Great Divide Waterfall". City of Edmonton. 2011. Archived from the original on June 16, 2012.
9. "Council Roundup – April 10, 2013". City of Edmonton. Retrieved April 22, 2013.
10. "Edmonton's Great Divide Waterfall Has Taps Turned Off". Retrieved May 21, 2014.

External links

• Herzog, Lawrence (2005-05-19). "Edmonton's High Level Bridge". Edmonton Real Estate Weekly. Realtors Association of Edmonton.