Ottawa is granting $11 million for Red Deer's pedestrian bridge restoration as an investment in community connections, said Canada's Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault.
The Edmonton Centre MP stood beside Alberta's historic former railway bridge on Wednesday to announce this funding as part of $36.3 million the federal government is investing in various "active transportation"-related infrastructure programs.
While places like Banff, Canmore and Lake Louise will be benefitting from three federally-funded accessible electric transit buses and a charging station, Boissonnault said Red Deer's investment will go towards rehabilitating a significant historical landmark, which is used as a transportation corridor between north side of the river and downtown Red Deer.
The City of Red Deer is also contributing $8 million to the $19 million restoration, so the minister added, "My friends, we are in this together..."
When the bridge refurbishment is completed in about 2026, "the bridge is going to look even brighter," said Boissonnault. He noted the federal Liberal government is aware of the need to distribute infrastructure/transportation funding not only to large centres, but also to mid-sized cities, such as Red Deer.
The bridge revitalization was highlighted as important because this river span provides a direct link between the downtown and Riverside Meadows, is popular with cyclists and hikers who use the riverside trails, and provides an important connection for vulnerable people who use social services on either side of the river.
Mayor Ken Johnston said the federal funding partnership is appreciated as the former CP Rail Bridge from 1908 "stands as a testament to our history," helping provide community connections for more than a century.
Indigenous elder Lyle Keewatin Richards, who said a prayer at the bridge, noted not all of this history was positive.
Some Indigenous children who were taken from their families and brought to the Red Deer Indian Industrial School were brought across that bridge by train. But the residential school was closed in 1919, the tracks were later pulled up and the bridge has been repurposed for pedestrians and cyclists. Things have changed for the better, and "I guess that is progress," Keewatin-Richards added.
City manager Tara Lodewyk called the restoration "a big deal." It will involve rebuilding not only bridge decking, but also the concrete bridge abutments that hold the metal structure to the river bank, and the two pier supports.
Greg Sikora, the city's parks and public works manager, said new concrete piers will have to be built in the Red Deer River, beside the current aging piers. Cranes will then be used to lift the metal rail bridge off its supports and move it onto the new ones, which will be located about 15 metres towards the east. The entire pedestrian bridge will be moved and slightly reconfigured to span the river at this location.
While some Red Deer residents had previously suggested moving the pedestrian bridge closer to Capstone and Bower Ponds, this was deemed not feasible as the river is much wider at that point.
Over the years, some city residents have complained about vagrancy on the pedestrian bridge. Urban planners believe one answer is attracting more diverse community members to such spots to change perceptions and increase the sense of public safety.
The restoration project will involve creating a gathering place on the north side of the bridge. Sikora said there are plans to create a circular patio with benches, picnic tables. He hopes cyclists and hikers will stop to "take a break" from at this spot and enjoy the riverside location. "There will be landscaping and shrubs and trees here," he said, and a gazebo is even being considered.
After the funding announcement, Boissonnault cautioned Bill 18, passed by Alberta's UCP government, will make federal-municipal funding partnerships a thing of the past.
Under the bill, municipalities cannot deal directly with the federal government on any kind of funding agreements without getting the province's permission first. Judging by the "zero dollars" the province has contributed to Red Deer's bridge restoration project, such heritage efforts are not a UCP priority, he added.
Boissonnault suggested Albertans make their discontent known to the provincial government.