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 Alberta ( ) is one of the thirteen provinces and territories of Canada. It is part of Western Canada and is one of the three prairie provinces. Alberta is bordered by British Columbia to the west, Saskatchewan to the east, the Northwest Ter ...

Canada Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...

. 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 The Bow River pathway is a pathway system developed along the banks of the Bow River in the city of Calgary. It contains a network of pedestrian and bicycle paths connecting parks on both sides of the river. The pathway is used for cycl ...

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 Sir Hector-Louis Langevin, (August 25, 1826 – June 11, 1906) was a Canadian lawyer, politician, and one of the Fathers of Confederation. Early life and education Langevin was born in Quebec City in 1826. He studied law and was called to t ...

, one of the Fathers of the

Canadian Confederation Canadian Confederation (french: Confédération canadienne, link=no) was the process by which three British North American provinces, the Province of Canada, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick, were united into one federation called the Canada, Dom ...

. The original span carries southbound 4th Street traffic across the river. A second span, a

Box girder bridge A box girder bridge, or box section bridge, is a bridge in which the main beams comprise girders in the shape of a hollow box. The box girder normally comprises prestressed concrete, structural steel, or a composite of steel and reinf ...

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 Downtown East Village more commonly known as simply East Village, is a mixed-use neighbourhood within the eastern portions of downtown Calgary, Alberta, Canada. It is contained within the city's Rivers District. Containing the earliest-settled la ...

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.

References

{{Calgary landmarks Bridges in Calgary Road bridges in Alberta

History

See also

References