QEW walkway provides missing link between city’s waterfront, east end
John Rennison/The...Pedestrian Bridge
The pedestrian bridge under construction over the QEW and Red Hill Valley Parkway.
From its clay-red hue to its slanted steel arch, the new pedestrian bridge spanning the QEW and Red Hill Creek was designed to reflect the city and capture its unique character.
And in just a few weeks, Hamiltonians will be able to see the city’s new landmark firsthand, as construction on the project wraps up.
“The community has been waiting a long time for this,” said Marco Oddi, senior project manager for the public works department. “Hamilton has some wonderful trail systems and this was always the missing link.”
Unlike other areas of the city, such as Cootes Paradise and Dundas, the heavily industrial east end has long been alienated from green space, separated from the Lake Ontario waterfront by old landfills and a tangle of high-speed roadways.
But with the construction of the new bridge, residents will soon have easy access to an expansive system of trails of parklands, without ever having to risk life and limb on busy city streets to get there.
“For us in the east end, we’ve always been looking for a better connection to the waterfront,” said Councillor Chad Collins. “It’s a huge boost for our image.”
“I think the bridge is symbolic that we’re making significant upgrades in the east end and in the city.”
The $14-million project, which was funded by a municipal infrastructure grant from the province, is the last piece of a continuous system that connects the Bruce Trail to the Waterfront Trail through the Red Hill Valley Trail.
The bridge — a 200-metre-long Z-shaped structure that traverses 12 lanes of traffic — is the centrepiece of the plan, but extending the existing Red Hill Valley Trail and creating paved, accessible pathways from the foot of Brampton Street to the waterfront was also a key concern for developers.
As was the design of the bridge itself, which city officials wanted to act as a unique gateway to Hamilton — something that would catch the eye and delineate the city from the surrounding urban sprawl.
“The city wanted some sort of signature structure and in the end the tilted arch was the one we preferred,” said Bob Stofko, senior project manager for Mississauga-based engineering and transportation consulting firm, McCormick Rankin Corporation.
“You don’t see a lot of these around. It’s a pretty unique style and design.”
According to Stofko, who oversaw the plans for the bridge, the material and hue of the structure were also chosen with Hamilton in mind.
The steel was selected to “reflect the steel in the city” and the “fireweed red” colour — the exact tint used on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge — resembles the clay cliffs throughout the Red Hill Valley, Stofko said.
Other aspects of the structure, such as the angled, irregular spokes on the handrails, were designed to cast shadows that mimic the grasses in the wetlands below.
The bridge and surrounding trails were initially expected to be complete and open to the public by the end of October, but city officials say a string of setbacks have delayed the opening until early December.
Gary Moore, director of engineering services for the public works department, said a scheduling conflict dating back to June is ultimately what put the project off track.
“The bridge was fabricated in Dartmouth, N.S., so it had to be shipped in parts on oversized loads, and that needs a police escort,” he explained.
But for the two weeks leading up to the G20 conference in Toronto — the time period during which the massive steel arch and girders were slated for transport — there were no OPP officers available to accompany the load from the Ontario border to Hamilton.
“That put them behind on delivery by two weeks,” he said. “Then, when they tried to put it up, they ran into a problem erecting the arch, which took about another 10 days to resolve.”
As for why the steel was trucked in from the East Coast rather than sourced locally, city officials said no companies in the area could match the bid. Most of the contracts on the project, however, such as concrete, asphalt, hand rails and labour, were awarded to businesses in the Hamilton area.
Setbacks to the bridge’s construction weren’t the only thing city planners and engineers had to worry about — they were also faced with the difficult challenge of building a structure within an environmentally sensitive and protected wetland.
Jim Stollard, board member and past president of the Hamilton Naturalists Club, said he recognized the negative effect the construction would have on the area in the early stages of the project.
In fact, he said his group opposed the initial plan for the site, which involved routing the trail through Van Wagner’s pond.
“It still has had some deleterious effects because the construction has removed some previously existing wetland areas,” Stollard said. “But you can always mitigate some of the effects that you’ve caused by planting natural species and making efforts to screen sensitive areas from pathways.”
City officials said this was taken into consideration during the planning stages and a portion of the project’s budget will be devoted to restoring the wetlands once construction is done.
The Naturalists Club isn’t alone in speaking out against the bridge. City Councillor and mayor-elect Bob Bratina also criticized the project in his recent election campaign, saying the funds should have been devoted to remediating Beasley Park, a contaminated inner-city green space, instead.
Environmental and political concerns notwithstanding, the bridge and surrounding trail systems are poised to bring positive change to a neighbourhood that has been all but cut off from the recreational and social opportunities the waterfront affords.
For Steve Miazga, chief administrative officer for the Hamilton Conservation Authority, the new link will not only promote active living, but benefit local businesses as well.
“It’s a great boon for the community,” he said.
By the numbers
76: the tilt, in degrees, of the bridge’s signature arch.
12: the number of lanes of traffic the bridge will traverse over the QEW.
200: the length, in metres, of the bridge’s deck.
14,000,000: the budget, in dollars, for the East Hamilton Recreational Trail and Waterfront Link.
7,600,000: the cost, in dollars, for the bridge alone.
1996: the year in which the idea for a pedestrian pathway across the QEW was initially raised.
2008: the year in which construction formally started on the project.
tpecoskie@thespec.com
905-526-3368
John Rennison/The...Pedestrian Bridge
The pedestrian bridge under construction over the QEW and Red Hill Valley Parkway.
From its clay-red hue to its slanted steel arch, the new pedestrian bridge spanning the QEW and Red Hill Creek was designed to reflect the city and capture its unique character.
And in just a few weeks, Hamiltonians will be able to see the city’s new landmark firsthand, as construction on the project wraps up.
“The community has been waiting a long time for this,” said Marco Oddi, senior project manager for the public works department. “Hamilton has some wonderful trail systems and this was always the missing link.”
Unlike other areas of the city, such as Cootes Paradise and Dundas, the heavily industrial east end has long been alienated from green space, separated from the Lake Ontario waterfront by old landfills and a tangle of high-speed roadways.
But with the construction of the new bridge, residents will soon have easy access to an expansive system of trails of parklands, without ever having to risk life and limb on busy city streets to get there.
“For us in the east end, we’ve always been looking for a better connection to the waterfront,” said Councillor Chad Collins. “It’s a huge boost for our image.”
“I think the bridge is symbolic that we’re making significant upgrades in the east end and in the city.”
The $14-million project, which was funded by a municipal infrastructure grant from the province, is the last piece of a continuous system that connects the Bruce Trail to the Waterfront Trail through the Red Hill Valley Trail.
The bridge — a 200-metre-long Z-shaped structure that traverses 12 lanes of traffic — is the centrepiece of the plan, but extending the existing Red Hill Valley Trail and creating paved, accessible pathways from the foot of Brampton Street to the waterfront was also a key concern for developers.
As was the design of the bridge itself, which city officials wanted to act as a unique gateway to Hamilton — something that would catch the eye and delineate the city from the surrounding urban sprawl.
“The city wanted some sort of signature structure and in the end the tilted arch was the one we preferred,” said Bob Stofko, senior project manager for Mississauga-based engineering and transportation consulting firm, McCormick Rankin Corporation.
“You don’t see a lot of these around. It’s a pretty unique style and design.”
According to Stofko, who oversaw the plans for the bridge, the material and hue of the structure were also chosen with Hamilton in mind.
The steel was selected to “reflect the steel in the city” and the “fireweed red” colour — the exact tint used on San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge — resembles the clay cliffs throughout the Red Hill Valley, Stofko said.
Other aspects of the structure, such as the angled, irregular spokes on the handrails, were designed to cast shadows that mimic the grasses in the wetlands below.
The bridge and surrounding trails were initially expected to be complete and open to the public by the end of October, but city officials say a string of setbacks have delayed the opening until early December.
Gary Moore, director of engineering services for the public works department, said a scheduling conflict dating back to June is ultimately what put the project off track.
“The bridge was fabricated in Dartmouth, N.S., so it had to be shipped in parts on oversized loads, and that needs a police escort,” he explained.
But for the two weeks leading up to the G20 conference in Toronto — the time period during which the massive steel arch and girders were slated for transport — there were no OPP officers available to accompany the load from the Ontario border to Hamilton.
“That put them behind on delivery by two weeks,” he said. “Then, when they tried to put it up, they ran into a problem erecting the arch, which took about another 10 days to resolve.”
As for why the steel was trucked in from the East Coast rather than sourced locally, city officials said no companies in the area could match the bid. Most of the contracts on the project, however, such as concrete, asphalt, hand rails and labour, were awarded to businesses in the Hamilton area.
Setbacks to the bridge’s construction weren’t the only thing city planners and engineers had to worry about — they were also faced with the difficult challenge of building a structure within an environmentally sensitive and protected wetland.
Jim Stollard, board member and past president of the Hamilton Naturalists Club, said he recognized the negative effect the construction would have on the area in the early stages of the project.
In fact, he said his group opposed the initial plan for the site, which involved routing the trail through Van Wagner’s pond.
“It still has had some deleterious effects because the construction has removed some previously existing wetland areas,” Stollard said. “But you can always mitigate some of the effects that you’ve caused by planting natural species and making efforts to screen sensitive areas from pathways.”
City officials said this was taken into consideration during the planning stages and a portion of the project’s budget will be devoted to restoring the wetlands once construction is done.
The Naturalists Club isn’t alone in speaking out against the bridge. City Councillor and mayor-elect Bob Bratina also criticized the project in his recent election campaign, saying the funds should have been devoted to remediating Beasley Park, a contaminated inner-city green space, instead.
Environmental and political concerns notwithstanding, the bridge and surrounding trail systems are poised to bring positive change to a neighbourhood that has been all but cut off from the recreational and social opportunities the waterfront affords.
For Steve Miazga, chief administrative officer for the Hamilton Conservation Authority, the new link will not only promote active living, but benefit local businesses as well.
“It’s a great boon for the community,” he said.
By the numbers
76: the tilt, in degrees, of the bridge’s signature arch.
12: the number of lanes of traffic the bridge will traverse over the QEW.
200: the length, in metres, of the bridge’s deck.
14,000,000: the budget, in dollars, for the East Hamilton Recreational Trail and Waterfront Link.
7,600,000: the cost, in dollars, for the bridge alone.
1996: the year in which the idea for a pedestrian pathway across the QEW was initially raised.
2008: the year in which construction formally started on the project.
tpecoskie@thespec.com
905-526-3368
Pedestrian link over QEW and Red Hill Creek completed
Fri May 6 2011
Pedestrians can now safely walk over the Queen Elizabeth Way and the Red Hill Creek to the waterfront.
The city has completed its $14-million East Hamilton Trail and Waterfront Link project, which provides an off-road pedestrian gateway over the QEW and the creek and is part of Hamilton's recreational trail network.
Construction for the pedestrian link, which was funded by Ontario's Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative, started in the summer of 2009.
The paved, barrier-free trail runs from Van Wagner's Beach Road to the foot of Brampton Street and along the Red Hill Valley Trail from Brampton Street to Barton Street.
The project includes a redeveloped parking area at the waterfront entrance, a habitat restoration zone on the area's former landfill sites and interpretive signage at the trail head location in the valley.
A multi-purpose court and picnic area are planned for the redeveloped Woodward Park. Restoration of the park will be completed this year and the construction of recreation amenities has been slated for 2012.
The Hamilton Spectator
May 08, 2012
Pedestrian bridge rises to new heights
The Waterfront Link Pedestrian Bridge in east Hamilton is an eye-catcher, its slanted, red steel arch a stark contrast to the asphalt and wetlands it spans.
But now, the unique Hamilton landmark is turning heads outside of the city.
McCormick Rankin Corporation was recognized by the Consulting Engineers of Ontario last month for its work on the 200-metre-long bridge.
The engineering firm was presented with the 2011 Award of Merit for Transportation at the group's annual awards gala in Toronto.
"We're very excited and very proud of the award," said Bob Stofko, a senior McCormick Rankin project manager. "And, of course, we're very pleased to have been able to work with the City of Hamilton on the project."
The bridge - which spans 12 lanes of traffic over the QEW and acts as a link between the city's waterfront and Red Hill Valley trails - beat out 10 other projects for top honours in the transportation category.
Barry Steinberg, CEO of Consulting Engineers of Ontario, said this year's competition had a record number of submissions, making the win for Hamilton's pedestrian bridge that much more of an accomplishment.
"Because we had more submissions, we needed more judges," he said, "and the more judges you have, the more difficult it is to come to a consensus."
"It's like jury duty - when they come out, we know the result."
This year, the deliberation was rather quick.
"All of the projects were extremely impressive," said Steinberg, "but obviously this one stood out, just based on how relatively smooth the judging went."
Numbers
7: Height, in metres, of the walking deck above the QEW
10: Height, in metres, of the arch
19: Supports along the span of the arch
76: Tilt, in degrees, of the arch
560: Tonnes of steel used to construct the bridge
2,000: Cubic metres of concrete needed for the project
7,600,000: Cost, in dollars, for the bridge alone
Construction
Much of the structure's aesthetics were carefully chosen to reflect both the city's past and the area's natural environment.
Steel represents Hamilton's role as a "steel city." Red references the colour of the clay cliffs in the Red Hill Valley.
And the angled, irregularly-spaced handrail spokes cast shadows that mimic the grasses in nearby wetlands.
Fun facts
"Fireweed red" - the colour used on the bridge - is the same shade of red on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
The project's steel was fabricated in Japan.
The bridge's structure was first formed in Texas.
The bridge was assembled in Dartmouth, N.S.
Other awards
Ontario Public Works Association: 2011 Project of the Year Award in Structures Greater than $10-million
Ontario Society of Professional Engineers' 2012 Hamilton-Halton Project of the Year Award in Civil-Environmental Engineering
pattiephillips@thespec.com
905-526-3254
Fri May 6 2011
Pedestrians can now safely walk over the Queen Elizabeth Way and the Red Hill Creek to the waterfront.
The city has completed its $14-million East Hamilton Trail and Waterfront Link project, which provides an off-road pedestrian gateway over the QEW and the creek and is part of Hamilton's recreational trail network.
Construction for the pedestrian link, which was funded by Ontario's Municipal Infrastructure Investment Initiative, started in the summer of 2009.
The paved, barrier-free trail runs from Van Wagner's Beach Road to the foot of Brampton Street and along the Red Hill Valley Trail from Brampton Street to Barton Street.
The project includes a redeveloped parking area at the waterfront entrance, a habitat restoration zone on the area's former landfill sites and interpretive signage at the trail head location in the valley.
A multi-purpose court and picnic area are planned for the redeveloped Woodward Park. Restoration of the park will be completed this year and the construction of recreation amenities has been slated for 2012.
The Hamilton Spectator
May 08, 2012
Pedestrian bridge rises to new heights
The Waterfront Link Pedestrian Bridge in east Hamilton is an eye-catcher, its slanted, red steel arch a stark contrast to the asphalt and wetlands it spans.
But now, the unique Hamilton landmark is turning heads outside of the city.
McCormick Rankin Corporation was recognized by the Consulting Engineers of Ontario last month for its work on the 200-metre-long bridge.
The engineering firm was presented with the 2011 Award of Merit for Transportation at the group's annual awards gala in Toronto.
"We're very excited and very proud of the award," said Bob Stofko, a senior McCormick Rankin project manager. "And, of course, we're very pleased to have been able to work with the City of Hamilton on the project."
The bridge - which spans 12 lanes of traffic over the QEW and acts as a link between the city's waterfront and Red Hill Valley trails - beat out 10 other projects for top honours in the transportation category.
Barry Steinberg, CEO of Consulting Engineers of Ontario, said this year's competition had a record number of submissions, making the win for Hamilton's pedestrian bridge that much more of an accomplishment.
"Because we had more submissions, we needed more judges," he said, "and the more judges you have, the more difficult it is to come to a consensus."
"It's like jury duty - when they come out, we know the result."
This year, the deliberation was rather quick.
"All of the projects were extremely impressive," said Steinberg, "but obviously this one stood out, just based on how relatively smooth the judging went."
Numbers
7: Height, in metres, of the walking deck above the QEW
10: Height, in metres, of the arch
19: Supports along the span of the arch
76: Tilt, in degrees, of the arch
560: Tonnes of steel used to construct the bridge
2,000: Cubic metres of concrete needed for the project
7,600,000: Cost, in dollars, for the bridge alone
Construction
Much of the structure's aesthetics were carefully chosen to reflect both the city's past and the area's natural environment.
Steel represents Hamilton's role as a "steel city." Red references the colour of the clay cliffs in the Red Hill Valley.
And the angled, irregularly-spaced handrail spokes cast shadows that mimic the grasses in nearby wetlands.
Fun facts
"Fireweed red" - the colour used on the bridge - is the same shade of red on San Francisco's Golden Gate Bridge.
The project's steel was fabricated in Japan.
The bridge's structure was first formed in Texas.
The bridge was assembled in Dartmouth, N.S.
Other awards
Ontario Public Works Association: 2011 Project of the Year Award in Structures Greater than $10-million
Ontario Society of Professional Engineers' 2012 Hamilton-Halton Project of the Year Award in Civil-Environmental Engineering
pattiephillips@thespec.com
905-526-3254
