What a pedestrian bridge between Capstone and Bower Ponds would look like, according to City of Red Deer administration. (City of Red Deer Capstone Briefing and Project Estimate presentation, April 3 council meeting)

By Alessia Proietti

To Bower Ponds

City says a Capstone Pedestrian Bridge could cost up to $50 million

Apr 3, 2023 | 8:20 PM

A Capstone Pedestrian Bridge to Red Deer’s Bower Ponds may cost upwards of $50 million, according to city administration.

At their meeting on Monday, city council directed administration to include the pedestrian bridge as a point of consideration during the 2024 Capital Budget discussions, while considering all other amenities and projects at that time.

During the 2023/2024 budget deliberations, council passed a resolution directing administration to provide a project estimate and initial design timeline for a Capstone Bridge in the first quarter of 2023.

READ: Red Deer city council revisits Capstone to Bower Ponds Bridge and Aquatic Centre projects

Administration said while they estimate overall construction costs to be between $40 – 50 million over seven years, they anticipate the conceptual design phase to cost roughly $1,000,000 and take between 18 months to two years to complete, with a consultant.

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The City says this first phase determines the most suitable solution for the bridge regarding construction options, alignment, environmental considerations and more. For the rehabilitation of the CPR Bridge, the city’s other pedestrian bridge located nearby and crossing over the Red Deer River, administration states the phase costed roughly $700,000. While the CPR Bridge is straight, they say the Capstone Bridge would need to be curved and is roughly 100 metres longer.

Administration compared the Capstone Bridge to other popular pedestrian bridges in Canada, like the Peace Bridge in Calgary, noting they are “iconic”, bringing recognition to the city and area. They say the bridges are signature in their architecture, incorporating themes from surrounding landscape and the community.

The Greater Downtown Action Plan (GDAP) first identified a pedestrian bridge to Bower Ponds as the completion of the linkage between Alexander Way and the parks system. An update in 2008 identified that major public event enhancements could be made by linking Capstone and Bower Ponds. The bridge was included in the City’s capital plan and listed that construction could commence in 2016.

As part of a soil stabilization project, the City constructed an abutment wall on the Capstone side near Canada 150 Square, to be used for a potential viewing platform. While abutment walls are also used as substructures at the end of bridges, administration says they would need to further look into if the wall can be used for a bridge crossing to Bower Ponds.

In 2012, the city estimated the project would cost around $20 million. After reviewing costs of similar bridges in the province, they refined the cost estimate to over $32 million in 2015. However, the budget figures decreased over the years, to a project estimate of roughly $15 million in 2021. Administration says they do not know why the estimate decreased as a recent pedestrian bridge in Edmonton over the North Saskatchewan River, of simpler nature than the Capstone Bridge, was budgeted for $41 million. They say recent construction costs for iconic bridges are roughly $35,000 per square metre and the Capstone Bridge would be around 1,375 square metres.

The City also suggested as an alternative, since the Taylor Bridge is tentatively scheduled for partial replacement in 2028, iconic enhancements and decorative features could be included with a widening of the bridge’s sidewalk.

Councillor Victor Doerksen, who advocated for the pedestrian bridge during budget deliberations, acknowledged the high cost as surprising. However, he said he wanted to ensure the project is not forgotten.

“I don’t want to lose the vision and the opportunity that this can bring for Red Deer. There hasn’t been a bridge or an infrastructure project that doesn’t create controversy and, to my colleagues, you should expect that. You bring an idea forward, you’re going to get some people who love it and some people who don’t,” he said. “But it’s important to get the ideas out there; to get that feedback because if we try to hide behind everything and never bring anything forward, you’ll get nowhere.”

While grants and private donations are possible to fund the bridge, administration noted it is too early to determine how much funds would come from this means.

As a result of the project’s magnitude, administration recommended deferring any more work until the next capital budget submission, to be considered in the broader context of the Long-Term Financial Plan and if any other projects would need to be deferred at the expense of the bridge.

Councillor Vesna Higham voiced her concern of this project conflicting with the city’s plans for an aquatic centre, which has been in the works for over 20 years.