CALGARY — After receiving negative feedback on a proposed new span to replace the aging Jaipur Bridge connecting Eau Claire with Prince’s Island, the city is re-starting the design process.
An open house was held Saturday to gather further feedback on the proposed $9.6 million bridge, which also includes flood mitigation work nearby on 2nd Street S.W.
The proposed new span was supposed to be presented to members of the Calgary Planning Commission but negative feedback scuttled that and officials are going back to the drawing board.
“Some people say … they want to see more how it integrates with the area, it may be too large, they’re not happy with the overhead structure, they want something that blends with the environment better than this particular option,” said Katherine Hikita, a project manager with the city.
The bridge, found on the east edge of Prince's Island Park, is part of a larger redevelopment of the area, which also includes continuing flood barrier work between the Peace Bridge and Prince’s Island Park, as well as a redesign of Eau Claire Plaza.
The projects are being looked at together as they will affect one another, said Joyce Tang, a program manager with the city.
“They’re all interrelated and interconnected because they either touch together physically on the ground plane or there’s infrastructure pieces that are coordinated together,” she said.
“So when you make a decision on one project, it may have an impact on another.”
Construction is scheduled to begin in spring 2020 and is expected to be completed for Canada Day 2021.
