Town to bridge gap in walking trail

Changes have been made to a bridge planned for access to the water treatment plant in Okotoks. The original plan was to build a footbridge from the roof of the water treatment plant in Sheep River Park to the escarpment behind the plant, in the Woodhaven area. The Province provided a $1.6 million grant from the Alberta Community Resilience Program to cover 90 per cent of the total cost of the project. The bridge was intended to provide access for water treatment plant workers during flood events. “When we get a flood, our water treatment plant becomes an island,” said Okotoks engineering manager Marley Oness, when the project was approved last June. “It’s surrounded by water, and the only way you can get personnel in and out is to fly them in by helicopter, which is what we’ve had to do in the last two flood events.” However, some questions were raised about the intent of the bridge, with residents and councillors wondering whether it could serve dual purpose. On May 14, council approved a budget amendment to add $450,000 to the project from water and sewer reserve and off-site levies, to create a fully-accessible trail and footbridge connection as part of the Town’s active transportation network. James Cameron, project engineer for the Town of Okotoks, said the primary purpose of the bridge is still for emergency access during flood events, but year-round access will now be available for residents. “Although not originally contemplated, the detailed design process revealed the opportunity to integrate this bridge with the river valley pathways,” said Cameron. In addition to its primary intent, this pedestrian bridge will offer benefit to residents by providing barrier-free access to the river valley’s pathway network.” Currently, the only access from the Woodhaven escarpment into Sheep River Park is via stairway. Those with mobility issues must access the park from Southridge Drive. Construction is expected to begin this summer or early fall.