Final steel arch in place for Edmonton’s Walterdale bridge

EDMONTON—The second and final arch lift on Edmonton’s new Walterdale Bridge has been lifted into place.

Crews raised the 2,000-tonne signature bridge arch about 20 metres to its ultimate height of 54 metres above the river — about the same height as the High Level Bridge — on April 12.

In November 2015, the central section of the arch was floated on barges to the bridge site and placed on steel supports. In January 2016, that same section of the arch was lifted 15 metres and connected to the arch segments already resting on the berms. The eight-hour final lift connects all of the arch pieces.

Construction on the new Walterdale Bridge began in 2013.

The signature through-arch bridge will replace the existing 103-year-old Walterdale Bridge. The new three-lane bridge will be a showpiece in Edmonton’s river valley and will feature a sweeping multi-use path that will connect to the upgraded trail system in the area, explains a release.

The new Walterdale Bridge is scheduled to open to traffic by the end of 2016, with overall project completion by fall 2017.

To minimize traffic disruptions, the old bridge will remain in service until construction on the new bridge is complete.

The arches for the new $155-million bridge were originally planned to be put in place late last summer, but late steel deliveries from Korea caused a one-year delay. Despite this, the city states that the bridge is on budget.