CALGARY – The City of Calgary has broken ground on the Sunnyside Flood Barrier, which is designed to protect the communities of Sunnyside and Hillhurst from river flooding.
The flood barrier will help manage flood water and prevent the type of damage seen in the 2013 floods while providing the building blocks for future climate resiliency, a release said.
“The Sunnyside Flood Barrier is an excellent example of how we can address urgent infrastructure needs while enhancing public spaces. This barrier will provide much-needed flood protection and contribute to the long-term resilience, functionality and beauty of our city for generations to come,” Calgary Mayor Jyoti Gondek said in a statement.
Design and construction of the flood barrier has been planned to build upon improvements made to the area over the past decade, the release said.
Once complete it will feature a combination of permanent flood walls and sheet walls as well as temporary deployable systems such as sandbags and water filled tubes and demountable flood walls.
The barrier will run along the north side of the Bow River from 14 Street N.W. to the west side of the Field of Crosses, the release added.
The project will also include enhancing the pathway, including construction of a multi-use pathway along the majority of the project’s length. Connections to trails running along the river will also be formalized via staircases and accessible routes.
Five specific places where public realm improvements are planned have been identified along the corridor including the Calgary Soldiers’ Memorial, Poppy Plaza, Peace Bridge North Shore, the 7 Street N.W. lookout and Prince’s Island Pedestrian Bridge and Bow River Access, the release said.
The first phase of the $50 million project will focus on enabling work that nears completion before official barrier construction begins.
“As the city works through the details with the design team and construction manager, we will share information on what enabling work will be taking place, the schedule for the work and any construction impacts the public could expect to see. During construction, efforts will be made to ensure safe, accessible and efficient movement within the Sunnyside, Hillhurst, Kensington and Riley Park areas,” the release added.
More information about the project is available at calgary.ca/sunnysidefloodbarrier.