City Council’s Executive Committee will be discussing rehabilitation options for the High Level Bridge on April 13, 2022.
Administration is currently proceeding with the planning and design for rehabilitation of the bridge combined with active mode enhancements on the upper deck, including:
Shared use paths on the upper deck;
Widening of the lower east deck sidewalk;
Rehabilitation of the north and south approaches of the upper deck; and
Maintenance of the streetcar track and provision of safety barriers.
This aligns with the High Level Line proposal, a fantastic proposal put together by the High Level Line Society. The proposal also extends well beyond the bridge itself, stretching 4.3 km and connecting MacEwan University to Whyte Avenue at Gateway Boulevard along the old CPR rail right-of-way.
High Level Bridge rendering from the High Level Line proposal
We’re happy and excited that this may be moving forward now, and grateful for the excellent advocacy and comprehensive work done by the High Level Line Society!
Did you know this isn’t the first proposal for using the upper deck?
Back in 1992, Bike Edmonton (then the Edmonton Bicycle Commuters Society [EBC]) presented a Rails to Trails concept plan to the City. Part of this eventually became the Ribbon of Steel plan, which built the shared pathway along the streetcar line that now stretches from 105 Ave to Ezio Faraone Park. Some of the south sections were only just built in the last couple years, almost three decades later!
In 1999, members of EBC pitched a Community Greenways concept across the upper deck of the bridge. We raised the idea again in 2016 in response to reports of numerous bicycle collisions along the congested pathways.
Check out the image gallery below for some archival designs and photos (did you know the upper deck used to carry 2 streetcars AND a freight train on three separate tracks?), and inspiration from New York’s High Line.
You can view the reports from the Executive Committee meeting below.
High Level Bridge Lifecycle Strategy