Lethbridge's iconic bridge named in list of Alberta's top sites to visit

CALGARY -

It's about 1,600 metres long and 96 metres high but it's also the province's most impressive manmade structure, says an association of engineers and geoscientists.

Lethbridge's High Level Bridge, which was built between 1907 and 1909 for about $1.3 million ($30 million modern standards), spans the Oldman River, says the Association of Professional Engineers and Geoscientists of Alberta (APEGA).

The organization released a list of Alberta's top 10 engineering and geoscience marvels early this month and the iconic bridge made it to the top of that list.

The group also said while the bridge's massive construction is an achievement on its own, it has also stood the test of time.

"The entire viaduct actually consists of two bridges, one in Lethbridge and one much smaller bridge in Monarch," APEGA wrote. "At the time, bridges that were constructed for crossing a water body as large as the Oldman River were expected only to last 10 years."

Officials at VisitLethbridge.com say the rail line remains "the longest and highest of its kind in the world" and is still in use, with several trains crossing the bridge each day.

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The city of Calgary also earned some recognition on the APEGA list.

The Peace Bridge, designed by Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava, was fourth, while the Bow Tower, once the tallest building in Calgary, was fifth.

The Peace Bridge will be closed from June 8 - 11 while crews replace its expansion joints (file)

APEGA noted Calatrava's challenge in designing the Peace Bridge, which was among the Top 10 architectural projects in 2012.

"He faced an uphill challenge in balancing how to keep the bridge high enough to accommodate Calgary’s flood cycle, while low enough to not interfere with traffic from the nearby Bow River heliport."

Meanwhile, the organization said the Bow Tower was originally designed to be an office building, it also became home to a number of public art pieces, including the Wonderland sculpture.

APEGA's Top 10 Engineering and Geoscience Marvels

1. High Level Bridge – Lethbridge, Alta.
2. Leduc No. 1 – Leduc, Alta.
3. Glacier Skywalk
4. Peace Bridge – Calgary, Alta.
5. Bow Tower – Calgary, Alta.
6. Walterdale Bridge – Edmonton, Alta.
7. Big Rock Glacial Erratic – Okotoks, Alta.
8. Icefields Parkway
9. Brazeau Dam
10. Oil Sands Discovery Centre – Fort McMurray, Alta.