Edmonton-Strathcona County Footbridge gets the green light

The City of Edmonton, Strathcona County and the River Valley Alliance (RVA) have finalized funding to realize their shared vision for a new footbridge over the North Saskatchewan River, which is scheduled to begin construction late summer/early fall.

The $41.1M pedestrian footbridge planning, design and construction is financially supported by the River Valley Alliance (50 per cent funding), with Edmonton and Strathcona County investing the remaining 50 per cent of the costs evenly.

The footbridge will be constructed to connect 167 Avenue (on the west/Edmonton side of the river) to Township Road 540 (on the east/Strathcona County side of the river).

Public feedback, including a site visit with 21 Indigenous community representatives, helped inform the design and open spaces on each side of the North Saskatchewan River. The site development will honour the human access with the maintenance of wildlife passages and habitat on both sides of the river.

“This footbridge is a value-added partnership between both municipalities and the River Valley Alliance that will be enjoyed by generations to come. The opportunity to create a continuous and connected park system through the North Saskatchewan River Valley was identified in Strathcona County’s Trail strategy, Edmonton’s Ribbon of Green strategy, and the River Valley Alliance’s plan of action. We are pleased to see the vision come to life,” says Strathcona County Mayor Rod Frank.

“This pedestrian bridge is going to be a key addition to the North Saskatchewan River Valley, linking Edmonton to Strathcona County and improving access and connectivity to the regional trail system from Devon to Fort Saskatchewan,” says Kristine Archibald, River Valley Alliance executive director.

"It has been a pleasure to work in partnership with Strathcona County and the River Valley Alliance throughout the planning and design phases for this exciting project," said Natalie Lazurko, director, Transportation Planning and Design, City of Edmonton. "We look forward to continuing to build this relationship as we finalize the detailed designs for June and start construction this summer."

For more information, visit Edmonton.ca/EdmontonStrathconaFootbridge.

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Media contacts:

Strathcona County
Communications
780-410-6595

City of Edmonton
Claire Graff, Senior Communications Advisor 
780-974-1957
claire.graff@edmonton.ca

River Valley Alliance
Kristine Archibald, Executive Director
kristine.archibald@rivervalley.ab.ca