Work crews have finally been able lift an old bridge away from the Bow River; the result of a complicated procedure that had suffered from a number of delays last week.
The 100-year-old bridge was supposed to be dismantled and removed on Wednesday last week, but high winds prevented the operation from moving forward.
Once the winds died down, a second attempt was made on Friday, but crews soon learned that the bridge was heavier than originally thought, so they needed to cancel the job once more.
They spent the weekend removing some sections of the bridge to lighten the load and then lifted the bridge at about 8:00 a.m.
"It was 30 tons over the previously projected weight. We thought it was 90 tons but it was 120," said Jadwiga Kroman, manager of bridges with the City of Calgary. "We are right now in the safety margin of lifting capacity."
It will be laid onto St. George's Island, where it will be dismantled.
The 12 Street Bridge was built in 1908, is 75 metres long and weighs approximately 90 tons. It connects the community of Inglewood to the Calgary Zoo.
The bridge was painted with lead paint, a known toxic material, so that’s why crews are going to such great lengths to remove the structure.
The 45-minute spectacle also drew a number of people to watch the old bridge come down, calling it a historic event.
"Everybody has history with this bridge and I just thought it would be neat to see," said Doug Nordvall. "We're talking about how people drive down there and they can take a mirror off; well many years ago I took a mirror off myself. It's just so narrow and you don't have any room. You try to make room for the other cars and there was one car that was more to the centre lane so I had to pull over and took the mirror right off."
Nordvall said that he wishes the city could have left the bridge up for the historical value, but he understands that they have their reasons.
"They did that down in Bowness as well because then you know the bridge is still there and you still have history with the bridge. How many times have we walked across it; how many times have we driven across it."
A new bridge is already under construction right next to the old bridge. It will have two lanes for vehicles and paths for cyclists and pedestrians.
It’s scheduled to be complete by December and is estimated to cost $19M.
This is the first time that the city has removed an entire bridge like this intact, but officials say more moves like this will be planned to take place in the future.
The removal work will continue on the site until mid-July and it is possible that sections of the old bridge, once properly treated, will be used in public art installations.
