St. Patrick's bridge design hopefuls released

Calgarians will get to review dozens of potential designs for a new pedestrian bridge over St. Patrick's Island.

The Calgary Municipal Land Corp., the independent development company the city created to help revitalize the East Village, posted the 35 submission on its website on Wednesday. An open house will also be held this week in the East Village.

The new bridge will span the west tip of St. Patrick's Island between the East Village and the neighbourhood of Bridgeland. It will replace the existing GC King pedestrian bridge, which doesn't cross over to the other bank.

St. Patrick's Island is connected to St. George Island, home of the Calgary Zoo.

Unlike the yet-to-be-built $22-million Peace Bridge, a project handed to award-winning Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, a design contest was held for this bridge.

Designers had to work within a $25-million budget set aside for the project. The bridge had to accommodate cyclists and pedestrians, as well as connect to the pathways at each end of the bridge and on St. Patrick's Island.

The shortlist will be announced at the end of October.

Council approved $25 million in September 2008 to design and construct the Peace Bridge, west of Prince's Island Park, which will connect Eau Claire with Sunnyside. The funding, from provincial infrastructure grants, also covers the costs of a conceptual design for the bridge on St. Patrick's Island.

The East Village is a 45.6-hectare area east of downtown that is bounded by the Bow River to the north, Ninth Avenue S.E. to the south, Third Street S.E. to the west and the Elbow River to the east.