The Peace Bridge caused a lot of controversy when it was being built and just three years later, it is in need of some serious repairs.
The bridge that spans the Bow River on the edge of Calgary’s downtown core has taken a beating from Mother Nature and Calgarians since it was erected.
The city says vandals broke some of the glass panes and that the damage was caused by something hitting it on the inside.
“They’re from apparent vandalism. We can tell that because, based on, it looks like cracks came from the inside and it appears to be from some kind of blunt object hitting them, likely a rock,” said Jessica Bell with the City of Calgary’s Transportation Department.
Officials say the broken glass is not a safety hazard but it will be expensive to fix even though the bridge came with replacement parts.
A contractor will be selected to do the work and some Calgarians say they are dismayed that someone would intentionally damage the structure.
“To see someone vandalize this like this it makes you think, like why? What do you get out of this? You’re ruining something that belongs to everyone,” said Aydin Sadagheh.
The in-floor lighting is also taking a licking and many of the hard-wired lights are cracked and rusted out.
“There were some drainage issues on the bridge that kind of resulted in some of the lights going out and then also they’re easily accessed because they’re just on the ground by people’s feet.” said Bell.
Some councillors are wondering how a bridge that can’t seem to withstand the elements got approved.
“Should we not, at the beginning when we approved the design, to see that problem coming,” said Ward 4 Councillor Sean Chu.
The city is now testing non-electric, glow-in-the-dark replacement lights buts says it doesn’t know how long they will last or if they can withstand the rigors of bridge traffic any better than the electric lights.
The total dollar value to replace the ceiling glass and the floor lights hasn't been determined.
(With files from Kevin Green)
