Peace Bridge celebrates one year anniversary
Posted Mar 24, 2013 5:09 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s been a year since the opening of the Peace Bridge and it seems Calgarians are accepting the expensive structure.
The controversial bridge was a main topic of debate in the 2010 civic election, costing nearly $25-million to build, and going 17 months behind schedule.
Critics deemed the bridge as a waste of money, unnecessary, and out of place in Calgary – but it seems Calgarians are embracing the European-like structure.
“At first I was wondering why we needed another bridge here, but, I do think it’s very striking and I think it will be an icon for Calgary,” one of the bridges many users said.
The bridge has made national and international architectural best-of lists and is featured on the cover of Tourism Calgary’s new guide.
About six- thousand people use it daily, higher numbers then initially estimated, which raises concerns for some Calgarians.
“I think they need to get a crosswalk on the other side of the bridge here, on Memorial. Finish the project properly and it will be a great use for cyclists, pedestrians and anyone else,” one man who users the bridge frequently said.
Although many Calgarians seem to embrace the structure, some critics do still remain.
“I thought it was not necessarily a good use of money for the taxpayers. I come down here and go for walks, but there’s another bridge 500 meters away. So I think money could have been better spent,” said one man.
“It still doesn’t really fit into the rest of Calgary I don’t think,” another added.
Even with differing opinions, Calgarians seem to be taking advantage of the bridge, from recreational use, to a backdrop for photo’s special events.
