Peace Bridge (Calgary)

Peace Bridge
Coordinates	51.05389°N 114.07883°W / 51.05389; -114.07883 (Peace Bridge)
Carries	Pedestrian pathway, bike path
Crosses	Bow River
Official name	Peace Bridge
Maintained by	City of Calgary
Characteristics
Design	double helix
Material	Steel
Total length	Out to Out 130.6 meters (428 ft)
Width	6.2 meters (20 ft)
Height	5.85 meters (19.2 ft)
No. of spans	1
Piers in water	0
History
Designer	Santiago Calatrava
Opened	24 March 2012
Location

Peace Bridge is a pedestrian bridge that accommodates both pedestrians and cyclists crossing the Bow River in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. The bridge is open for use as of March 24, 2012.

The bridge was built by The City of Calgary to connect the southern Bow River pathway and Downtown Calgary with the northern Bow River pathway and the community of Sunnyside. This connection helps to accommodate the increasing number of people commuting to and from work and those enjoying Calgary's pathways.

Funding for the Peace Bridge was provided by The City's Capital Budget. For the Transportation department, targeted expenditures of capital are directed by the Transportation Infrastructure Investment Program (TIIP), which defines the priority and timing of major infrastructure construction projects. This program emphasizes pedestrian and cycling in high-density areas where these modes are more efficient at moving people, support land use and lessen environmental impacts. The projected completion cost is

• Construction: $17.995 million
• Design, engineering and quality assurance: $3.9 million
• Project management and contingency: $2.6 million

It is expected that the bridge will be used by more than 5,000 people daily.

Design

File:Calatrava-calgary-bridge.jpg

Architect's rendering

The design follows strict requirements with no piers in the water (in an effort to minimize the ecological footprint) and restricted height (due to the vicinity of the Calgary (City/Bow River) Heliport).

The bridge has also been designed to:

• Withstand Calgary's one-in-100 year flood cycle
• Meet a minimum 75 year life span
• Allow barrier free access for people of all mobility types
• Provide comfort and security through lighting

As such, the bridge is a departure from Calatrava's usual designs, which are typically asymmetric shapes anchored by high masts. Another atypical element is the colour, while most of Calatrava's designs are white, the Peace Bridge features a red and white pattern (Red and white are the colours in both the Flag of Canada and the Flag of Calgary).

Features

• Helical steel structure with a glass roof
• A width of 6.3 metres - double the width of other pedestrian bridges in the area
• Segregated bicycle and pedestrian traffic
• Lighting for night time use

Materials used

• Steel for the arches
• Reinforced concrete abutments & deck

Dimensions

• Span length: Tube Girder 126 meters (413 ft)
• Total length: Out to Out 130.6 meters (428 ft)
• Total width: 8 meters (26 ft)
• Total height: 5.85 meters (19.2 ft)
• Inside width: 6.2 meters (20 ft) (3.7 meters (12 ft) for pedestrian and 2.5 meters (8.2 ft) for cycleway)

History

In September 2008, Calgary City Council approved report LPT2008-49 which set aside $25 million for the Pedestrian Gateway project across the Bow River for bridges west of Prince's Island Park and at the west of St. George's Island. The decision directed Administration to design and build one bridge and develop a concept design for a second one.

Construction started in March 2010. A temporary structure was built immediately upstream from the bridge location and served as a place to assemble the bridge before moving it to its final position.

The tubular bridge was manufactured in Spain and shipped to Calgary. Assembly of the bridge pieces started in Fall 2010 and the bridge was moved across the Bow River in November 2011.

During routine weld inspection, it was discovered that some of the welds did not comply with quality standards. As a result, the project was delayed so an independent company could take the time to do a more thorough inspection of the welds completed in Spain. Repairs delayed the opening of the bridge by more than one year.

The bridge opened on March 24, 2012.

• 
  The temporary bridge built to support the construction in May 2010
• 
  Temporary bridge completed in June 2010
• 
  Assembly of the segments in Calgary

Criticism

The Peace Bridge has drawn much criticism from the public, namely:

• Three other pedestrian bridges already exist just 275m west, 400m west, and 900m east from its location. However, the Peace Bridge is the only bridge to provide dedicated bicycle lanes crossing the Bow River.
• The design was single-sourced.
• The design was awarded to a foreign firm.
• The final cost is projected to be over $30,400 per metre. Despite the price tag, the Peace Bridge has a lower cost per area than similar length pedestrian/cycle bridges.

See also

• List of bridges in Calgary