The Facts about the Peace Bridge Tamara Lee, first draft (July 5, 2010) Myth: Calgary doesn't need another pedestrian bridge across the river. Yes, we do! Calgary needs the Peace Bridge to accommodate the rapidly increasing pedestrian and cycling traffic in the busiest section of the Bow River Pathway. Every day, over 13,000 people on foot, bikes, roller blades, and strollers cross between Sunnyside and Eau Claire, often crowding the narrow bridges. The number of Calgary’s downtown residents is expected to more than double to 70,000, and employees will increase to 180,000 in the next 25 years. This will mean thousands more Calgarians commuting and enjoying the pathways as walkers and riders in the core. The unique Peace Bridge offers both safety and comfort for users: double the width of the other pedestrian bridges; a clear separation between pedestrians and wheeled traffic; barrier-free access to people of all mobility types; and a canopy-style roof with natural light by day and safety lighting at night. Myth: The bridge could have been built for $5 million. Not a chance. A traditional pedestrian bridge, which can cost about $5 million, simply would not work across the river for four reasons: 1. The Bow River is too wide (130 metres) at this point for a traditional pedestrian bridge. This location was chosen to serve the busiest point on the pathways and to be appropriately spaced between the other bridges. 2. A traditional bridge design would interfere with the nearby helipad, which is primarily used by HAWC1 and STARS. Therefore, the bridge cannot be suspended by overhead towers, which would restrict air space clearance. 3. A traditional bridge design would have an undesirable environmental impact on the Bow River. The Peace Bridge will span the river with no support structures such as piers in the water. There will be little impact on river life and no impediments to navigation on the waterway, which includes ice jams or ice flows. 4. The bridge must be built to withstand particular river situations such as high water levels during spring run-off, or Calgary’s one-in-100 year flood cycle, and still meet the 75 years minimum lifespan requirement. With all these design, engineering and safety considerations in mind, the bridge could not possibly have been built for only $5 million. “It’s a misconception that the bridge could have been built for $5 million….in this case, it wouldn’t have been possible.”—Mac Logan, Director of Transportation Infrastructure, City of Calgary Myth: The money could have been spent on something else. Not an option. The vast majority of the funding for Peace Bridge comes from the Province's Municipal Sustainability Initiative (MSI), which is collected by the province from oil and gas revenues and granted to municipalities across Alberta for projects that meet the demands of growth. The money assigned to build this bridge came from funds specifically designated for transportation projects. "The money for the bridge is coming from the Provincial Government as part of the Municipal Sustainability Initiative funding. As such, there are a number of “strings” attached to the agreement that mean Council can’t do much with the money except build a bridge…. Because the money is unexpected and limited to only this use, it stands to reason that you might as well build a better bridge than you normally would have rather than [have to give] the money back."— DJ Kelly, marketing consultant and civic advocate Myth: $25 million is still too much to pay for a pedestrian bridge. Actually, the cost is less than expected for a bridge of this magnitude with such specific engineering, environmental and safety requirements. The Peace Bridge will cost about $30,000 per square metre, which is less than Edmonton’s new footbridge over the North Saskatchewan River, or Winnipeg’s Esplanade Riel. “You can argue about the attractiveness (or lack thereof) of the design or the snub to Calgary architects bringing in Calatrava all you want, but the cost is not debatable. If City Hall is telling the truth and the bridge was required to span the river for environmental reasons, then the cost is $25 million….In fact, according to the Cityʼs cost comparisons with similar bridges in Canada and Europe, itʼs a bargain.” —Markam-Hyslop, Calgary Beacon The breakdown in cost is as follows: Construction –$17.995 million Design, engineering and construction management– $3.5 million Project administration and contingency – $2.450 million Pedestrian Bridges, Long Span: total and per square metre project costs Bridge Name, Year Built Cost $CDN Cost $CDN 2008 $CDN 2008 per Location ($millions) ($millions) sq. m ($000's) Newcastle/Gateshead, 2002 55 74 73.0 England Millennium Bridge 2000 44 65 50.0 London, England Redding, California 2004 29 35 24.0 Esplanade Riel, 2003 21.5 27 50.0 Winnipeg Edmonton Foot Bridge 2009 26^ 25^ 33.0 Average Cost 46 Calgary, Bow River* 2010 24.5^** 23.6^** 30.4 * Based on 130 m long, 6.2 m wide bridge ^ Includes construction and consultants’ cost ** Includes contingency and administration costs Source: City of Calgary Myth: Calgary taxpayers are footing the bill. No, lucky us! The Province is paying for 99.5% of the cost of the Peace Bridge from oil and gas revenues. According to the Transportation Infrastructure department, the vast majority of the bridge funding is coming from Alberta’s Municipal Sustainability Initiative. The Province collects the MSI money from oil and gas revenues, and it is granted to municipalities across Alberta for projects that meet the demands of growth. The City of Calgary will only contribute $125,000 towards the project—a mere 0.5% of the total project cost. Myth: Local companies were ignored in favour of a “fancy foreigner". Most of the funding for the bridge will be paid to local construction companies: General Contractor: Graham Infrastructure Subcontractors: Steel Fabrication and Coating Supplier Steel Erector – Graham Infrastructure Glazing Supplier and Installer – GIG Fassaden (Austria) Piling – Big Eagle Services Tubular steel structure – Augescon (Spain) The majority of the project was tendered through competitive processes. This includes construction, geotechnical investigation, hydrotechnical reviews, electrical designers, and construction supervision. The Transportation department chose the Santiago Calatrava design firm to provide architectural services based on its recognized bridge design expertise and experience in delivering projects of this scale, as well as the City's desire to create a unique landmark while meeting the functionality, environmental and architectural goals for this site, as stated in the Centre City Plan. “Architect and bridge designer Santiago Calatrava’s fees had little to do with the final cost of around $25 million. They came in around 12 per cent of the total cost, which...is average for a project of this sort.” —Markam-Hyslop, Calgary Beacon Myth: The contract to design the bridge was unfairly awarded. The design contract for the Peace Bridge was single-sourced. Single-sourcing is just one method of procuring consultants and is an acceptable and widely-used practice industry- wide. Examples of Transportation projects where the design component was single- sourced include Legsby Pedestrian Bridge (Cohos Evamy); Graves Bridge Twinning (CH2M Hill); and Macleod Trail / Shawnessy-Midlake Boulevard Interchange (Stantec). After vetting a number of architectural firms, it was determined that the firm of Santiago Calatrava was the most appropriate consultant for this project. Santiago Calatrava is an award-winning architect and bridge designer whose work spans the globe. Examples of his many works include: road and pedestrian bridges (Sundial Bridge at Turtle Bay, Redding, California), airports (Lyon Airport Station, France), and transportation centres (World Trade Center Transportation Hub, New York City). "We sought Santiago Calatrava for this project because of his body of work....He brings not only an expertise in structural engineering but also a proven aesthetic, he's done some beautiful projects all over the world....we really thought it would fantastic to work with him." —Mac Logan, Director of Transportation Infrastructure, City of Calgary “When you have great pieces of work in a city, they start to raise the bar for those of us that are working in the city [of Calgary] all the time.”—Jeremy Sturgess, award-winning Calgary architect working on EnCana’s tower, The Bow Myth: The bridge is the "vanity project" of one alderman. Definitely not! The Centre City Plan—an award-winning document supported unanimously by Calgary City Council—clearly identified the need for two additional pedestrian river crossings. In September 2008, the majority of Council members approved the construction of the first pedestrian bridge over the Bow River west of Prince's Island Park. Several aldermen as well as key members of the Transportation department championed the Peace Bridge as meeting both Council’s and Calgarians’ desire for more sustainable transportation options. Studies show unequivocally that Calgarians favour initiatives that promote sustainable modes of transportation. Accordingly, City Council has approved key directions for land use and transportation with a focus on increasing mobility choices. The Peace Bridge embraces the vision set out by Calgarians, while enhancing a world-class downtown core. Myth: Most people are against the Peace Bridge. More and more forward-thinking Calgarians are speaking out in favour of the Peace Bridge. “The Peace Bridge will redefine the pedestrian relationship between the City and the River, in that it celebrates the pedestrian experience and Calgary’s unique radiance. As a dramatic and iconic form in the river valley, the cardinal red structure is arresting and memorable, a perfect complementary colour to the brilliant blue sky. It is a brilliant structural form that will attract attention from afar and will be a delight to experience.