Five wooden pedestrian bridges in Edmonton's Mill Creek ravine were officially opened Friday after undergoing replacement or repair work.
The $7.7 million project was started in September 2017 and was to be completed in October, but was finished four months early, said city officials.
The bridges, popular with pedestrians and cyclists, are in the ravine park south of 76th Avenue, near the Ritchie, Hazeldean and Avonmore neighbourhoods.
"Completing this rehabilitation on budget and ahead of schedule will provide residents the opportunity to safely use the Edmonton river valley trail system throughout the summer months," Sam El Mohtar, director of transportation infrastructure delivery, said in a news release Friday.
The project involved repairing two trestle bridges and replacing one trestle bridge and two glulam bridges. Glulam is a beam made up of wood strips glued together.
To recognize the historical significance of the trestle bridges, 20 to 25 per cent of the original wood was used in the rehabilitation of the bridges to maintain their authentic look and feel, said El Mohtar.
"Reusing wood from the original structures allowed us to improve the safety and functionality of the bridges, while ensuring the longevity of this piece of Edmonton's history," he said.
The trestle bridges were originally built in 1902 as part of the Edmonton, Yukon and Pacific Railway.
The railway was decommissioned in 1958 and the bridges were converted for pedestrian use after ownership was transferred to the city in the 1970s.
"This looks pretty good. It looks well reinforced," said Clay Lowe, who lives in King Edward Park.
He uses the pedestrian bridges often while riding his bicycle through the ravine.
"I'm looking forward to [the opening]," he said Friday, a few hours before the barricades were removed.
Some trail work and landscaping around the bridges still needs to be done and should be completed over the next week, said city officials.