Edmonton breaks ground on river valley funicular

Construction on a funicular in Edmonton's river valley has begun, with the clearing of trees and shrubs near the Hotel Macdonald downtown.

"It's actually going to be quite spectacular,"saidRob Marchak, the city's director of Strategic Projects, during a Monday morning interview on CBC radio's Edmonton AM.

Although approved last June, the $24-million Mechanized River Valley Access projectfinally garnered the necessary environmental approvals last month.

The project includes a funicular to carry passengers up and down the slope, a sweeping staircase with outlooksand a pedestrian bridge over Grierson Hill Road.

"It's something to get into and out of the river valley, and it's actually part of a large series of projects," Marchak said.

"The funicular has been one of those really exciting parts of all of those projects... . It really is an inclined elevator. The banks in that area are 45 metres high, so it's hard to get down and over those. So this whole program with the River Valley Alliance has been [about]increasing accessibility and connectivity into the river valley."

Construction was funded with both federal and provincial grants, but the cost of operation remains unclear; a disconcerting prospect for the mayor, many councillorsand some residents.

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"To me, it seems like a waste of money. I think the stairs are good enough. And the rest of it doesn't really make any sense to me," said Edmonton resident Jeremiah Kowalchuck.

"This doesn't need to be achieved through a funicular. There are other ways to get down to the river valley that don't require a multimillion-dollar funicular to be built on our river bed."

Construction is scheduled for completion by fall of 2017. In the meantime, the staircase connecting McDougall Hill Road to the top of the riverbank will be closed, as the existing wood staircase is refurbished.

Grierson Hill and McDougall Hill Road will experiencetemporary traffic disruptions throughout construction, including a temporary lane closure at the top of McDougall Hill Road for approximately six months.

"I'm very disappointed," said Edmonton resident Janet McKernan. "It's a huge inconvenience. There is mostly [people exercising]on this stairway, so we're likely not going to be using the stairway, which seems like a big waste of money in this economy."