City to spend $25M to build pedestrian bridges

The city will be building two new pedestrian bridges over the Bow River worth $25 million.

Ald. Druh Farrell, who convinced the majority of councillors to support the building project during a council meeting Monday, said that as the city grows, the bridges will become an important route for people going into the core.

"Pedestrian bridges are one of the most democratic pieces of architecture that we have. They link one place to another, they are highly visible and in many countries they last hundreds, if not thousands of years," she said.

"Because of their visibility and because ofthe beauty of the Bow River and the location of these proposed bridges, I think it makes sense for us to invest more in beauty than we would otherwise."

The bridges will be built at Prince's Island and St. George's Island near the Calgary Zoo.

Ald. Jim Stevenson was one of the six who voted against the project.

"Not becauseI don't agree with the idea of the structures and the need for them, butthe cost in my mind is ridiculous for usto spend that much money on two pedestrian bridges when they're being built in other parts of the city for $2 or$3 million each."