The Bow River Pathway
The Bow River Pathway is currently closed from Douglas Dale to Mount Park Drive. There are currently gaps in the barrier, but users of the pathway are proceeding at their own risk. As long as the pathway is officially closed, it will not be cleared of ice or snow.
In the last year the slope has destabilized and sloughed further. This has created a safety risk for City crews who are not currently able to bring trucks or heavy machinery onto the pathway to remove barriers that are currently in place. The City has hired a consultant to design a short term detour along the damaged sections of the pathway. The plan is to re-open parts or at least a portion of the pathway as a temporary trail. The consultant completed site reconnaissance December 2014 and is working on detour designs which follow the City’s guidelines for trails. Construction on a detour is expected to start in 2015.
Here is a text of a notice the Parks department sent to residents along the impacted area:
Bow River Regional Pathway – Douglasdale to Mt. Alberta View
Project status report # 2
1. Past reporting
– Slope Inclinometer Monitoring Report completed by EBA on November 13, 2014. Based
on the findings of the report, The City of Calgary does not have any safety concerns with
regards to the adjacent residents. There is no change from previous findings.
– The City received and approved three separate projects as follows:
o Short-term relocation of 160m of pathway directly behind Mt. Alberta View by
EBA Engineering.
o Short-term repair of Bow River Regional Pathway north of Mt. Alberta View to
Douglasdale
o Bow River Regional Pathway long term feasibility study of 2.6 km of pathway in
Douglasdale up to and including Mt. Alberta View.
– The City completed 2014 Pathway Escarpment Observation Summary Report for four
spots along the Bow River Pathway. The report was distributed for information.
2. Key accomplishments since last reporting
– Golder (City hired consultant) continues to monitor the closed areas. The City of Calgary does not have any
safety concerns with regards to the adjacent residential properties
– EBA’s proposal was revised and approved by The City.
– Golder completed the site reconnaissance on December 29, 2014 and is currently
working on the short and long term solutions.
– The plan is to re-open all or at least a portion of the pathway as a temporary trail while
continuing to work on the long term solution
– Golder and EBA are working on detour designs which will follow the City’s guidelines for
trails.
– The City and both consultants are working closely together to align the design and share
all information.
3. Upcoming tasks for this period
– Obtain a preliminary design for the short-term solution to reopen the area to the public.
– Begin stakeholder consultation for the temporary tail detour.
– Continue to work on the long term feasibility study.
4. Issues
– Currently there is no allocated funding for construction of repairs; however there is some
funding available from the province for the short term relocation of the pathway.
– Construction for the temporary trail cannot move forward until Spring of 2015 at the
earliest pending consultation.
5. Responses to Questions and Comments since last reporting
– The City will take into consideration all the information available including the pathway
usage counts, inclinometer readings, monitoring reports and previous geotechnical
studies to determine the long term feasibility of the pathway.
– The consulting work is split into three separate projects for funding purposes.
– The concrete barriers on site are intended to clearly indicate to the public that the area is
unstable and closed to the public.
– It is also unsafe for snow clearing equipment to clear the pathway due to the increased
cross-fall and risk to equipment and personnel.
– People choosing to ignore the closure are proceeding at their own risk.
We appreciate that this has been a frustrating process for local residents. The City is working hard to resolve this problem as quickly as possible while taking appropriate measures to keep the public safe. My office will continue to provide updates when they become available. I should reiterate yet again that the pathway is officially closed and any users of the pathway proceed at their own risk.
