The Reconciliation Bridge (formerly the Langevin Bridge) is a
through truss
A truss bridge is a bridge whose load-bearing superstructure is composed of a truss, a structure of connected elements, usually forming triangular units. The connected elements (typically straight) may be stressed from tension, compression, or ...
bridge in
Calgary
Calgary ( ) is the largest city in the western Canadian province of Alberta and the largest metro area of the three Prairie Provinces. As of 2021, the city proper had a population of 1,306,784 and a metropolitan population of 1,481,806, makin ...
,
Alberta,
Canada. It connects
Downtown Calgary
Downtown Calgary is a dense urban district in central Calgary, Alberta. It contains the second largest concentration of head offices in Canada, despite only being the country's fourth largest city in terms of population. The downtown is divided i ...
with north-central Calgary communities such as
Bridgeland and
Crescent Heights, by spanning the
Bow River between 4th Avenue South and
Memorial Drive.
The bridge is part of the
Bow River pathway system.
On January 23, 2017,
Calgary City Council voted to change the name from Langevin Bridge to the Reconciliation Bridge.
History
The bridge was opened in 1910 and was named for Sir
Hector-Louis Langevin, one of the Fathers of the
Canadian Confederation. The original span carries southbound 4th Street traffic across the river. A second span, a
Box girder bridge built in 1972 carrying northbound traffic on 5th Street (Edmonton Trail NE), is also referred to as Langevin Bridge.
In 2009, the Calgary Municipal Land Corporation set up 5,600 programmable lights on the bridge for Christmas, at a cost of $400,000, as a part of
Downtown East Village re-vitalization efforts. The
LED
A light-emitting diode (LED) is a semiconductor Electronics, device that Light#Light sources, emits light when Electric current, current flows through it. Electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, releasing energy i ...
installation, is composed of 5600 LED grouped in 156 programmable light assemblies, and is part of the RiverWalk project, an effort to improve the pathways along the Bow and Elbow rivers adjacent to the
East Village.
The Reconciliation Bridge is located at 4th Street NE and Riverfront Avenue SE.
The bridge was renamed after a majority vote at Calgary city council on Monday, January 23, 2017, with the new bridge being named the Reconciliation Bridge. On May 26, 2018, the bridge was renamed in a ceremony.
See also
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Transportation in Calgary
The city of Calgary, Alberta, has a large transportation network that encompasses a variety of road, rail, air, public transit, and pedestrian infrastructure. Calgary is also a major Canadian transportation centre and a central cargo hub for freig ...
*
List of bridges in Calgary
*
List of bridges in Canada
References
{{Calgary landmarks
Bridges in Calgary
Road bridges in Alberta