Construction is scheduled to start on the replacement of three pedestrian bridges in Little Red River Park on Monday, October 18th. The bridge replacement might impact some of the routes on the trails. The three bridges that will be replaced are:
- The Sliding Hill Bridge located across from the toboggan hill. The bridge was demolished in 2013 after the Spruce River flooded, causing the embankment to erode.
- The Lions Gate Bridge located at the Cosmo Lodge. The bridge was also damaged in the 2013 flood but has since been repaired and reinstalled. However, erosion on the north piers, cracking on the north embankment and frost heaving requires that it needs to be replaced.
- The Sports Council Bridge located on the upper plains of Little Red. The bridge construction was roughly built, and it sways side to side. The embankments at both ends are eroding and the retaining wall on the north side is decaying.
Construction Disruptions:
As a result of the work starting over the next two weeks, re-routing of the Cross-country ski trails and bike trails will be necessary as the Sports Council bridge will not be accessible starting October 22nd. To help minimize the impact to the user groups, the City will be keeping the existing Lions Gate Bridge in place while the construction of the new bridge occurs. This will still result in periodic closures of the existing bridge but for most of the project, it will remain accessible.
"All three bridges will be replaced with prefabricated steel structures meeting current building codes and accessibility standards. Due to the replacement of the three bridges occurring over the Spruce River, the work is occurring during frozen ground conditions to limit erosion." says Nykol Miller, Capital Projects Manager, City of Prince Albert.
Construction Timeline:
Construction is set to start on October 18th and access to the Sports Council Bridge will no longer be allowed starting October 22nd until the work is completed in late spring 2022. These dates are subject to change and weather dependent.
The access road from Pine Grove Centre will be utilized for bridge construction equipment in November and December, as a result, the implementation of snow trails on this section may be postponed.
"The bridge replacement at Little Red River Park is an exciting development allowing for safe and accessible trails. There will be some disruptions during the construction period this fall/winter and we ask users and visitors to be patient as we work through the process to deliver beautiful and lasting bridges for Little Red," says Tim Yeaman, Parks Manager for the City of Prince Albert.
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For more information contact:
Nykol Miller - Bridge Related Questions
Capital Project Manager
City of Prince Albert
306.953.4900
Tim Yeaman - Park & User Group Related Questions
Parks Manager
City of Prince Albert
306.953.4800