Designing the first and longest three span, stressed-ribbon bridge in Canada

Terwillegar Park Footbridge and Trails

As part of their River Valley Alliance initiative to create a continuous trail system from Devon to Fort Saskatchewan, our client wanted to enhance the terrain in the area surrounding Terwillegar Park by developing recreational trails and a connecting bridge. Their vision was not an easy task as a historical aboriginal site was located within the proposed area and they wanted minimal impact to the surrounding environment.

Our project team designed a floating path concept based on a proven and economical bridge design for large span footbridges: the stressed ribbon. The three-span, stressed-ribbon bridge will be the longest and first multi-span stressed-ribbon in Canada.

Upon completion, the thin span-to-depth ratio will complement the river valley’s natural setting with its elegance and simplicity, while providing users with the unique sensation of floating across water. This simple visual design is mostly constructed offsite resulting in minimal disturbance to the current natural environment. Most importantly, our in-house archaeologist honored site sensitivity by ensuring the historical significance of the aboriginal site was left undisturbed.