Have you ever spent time in Mill Creek Ravine, and been frustrated by having to pause your run to wait for traffic or stop your dog or toddler from running into traffic before crossing the street? Have you ever missed out on listening to bird calls and leaves rustling in exchange for a noisy muffler? What if that was no longer the case?
An upcoming project on our radar is the Mill Creek Ravine Trestle Bridge Replacement project; it’s currently in the detailed design phase, with construction anticipated to begin in late 2025. The Trestle Bridge was built in 1902 and has reached the end of its service life, therefore a replacement bridge with similar character will be built in its place. In addition, the culvert, a tunnel-like structure that you can see in the photo below beneath the trestle bridge that directs water north-south to the other side of Mill Creek ravine crossing, that runs below the 76 avenue roadway, is also beyond repair. The proposed design to update the culvert is to build a vehicle bridge in its place on 76 avenue, parallel to the trestle bridge, as the culvert design is no longer appropriate for this waterway. This means that this stretch of road along the ravine will be renewed as part of the Mill Creek Ravine Trestle Bridge Replacement project, not as part of the 76 avenue collector renewal project, which is in very early stages of planning and design.
This got us thinking – THINKING BIG!
A Big Opportunity
On May 4, 2024, we hosted a Jane’s Walk with Connect76 about the potential presented within the renewal of the 76 Avenue corridor in the Ritchie, King Edward Park, and Avonmore neighbourhoods. Much of the discussion reaffirmed and added further nuance to the original ideas we sourced from members and presented within our blog post from February 2024, however one new idea that came out of the discussion was the opportunity to redirect vehicle traffic out of the Mill Creek Ravine and open up the ravine crossing of 76th avenue to just people through active transportation modes (e.g., walking, rolling, cycling, skateboarding, scootering, etc.), allowing for significant re-naturalization of the area. This idea came out of a discussion the group had while paused at the Mill Creek Ravine Trestle Bridge in the ravine. The walk participants voiced interest in this opportunity, as it could support the wildlife corridor along the creek, reduce long-term operational cost of road maintenance, and really utilize the full opportunity presented within renewal. It could be coined as a traffic calming measure to create safer, more liveable streets, by discouraging vehicle shortcutting, drawing vehicle noise out of the surrounding neighborhoods and redirecting vehicle traffic to main arterials like 99th street, Whyte Avenue, Argyll Road, 75th street and other roads in the vicinity.
With this new idea on our minds, and a tough city budget season just wrapping up, a financially strategic opportunity presented itself – what if the City redirected vehicle traffic out of the Mill Creek Ravine, re-naturalizing the space, and removed the need to build a new vehicle bridge? We could save millions of dollars! In addition to clear savings from not building a new vehicle bridge, the city would also see long-term savings by eliminating road maintenance and reducing soil erosion issues in the area.
We could also improve safety in these neighbourhoods, create a more connected and enjoyable park space, and allow the natural ecosystem to flourish. Active transportation modes would continue to use the trestle bridge, which will be widened from its current design as part of the replacement project, to travel both north-south through the ravine trails and east-west along 76 avenue, as depicted below. There could also be opportunities for open greenspace with picnic tables in the low-slope section, with a new view of the ravine’s waterway once the road and culvert are removed. Imagine it – your walk through the ravine would no longer be interrupted by noisy vehicles speeding down the hill, and the coffee and treat you grabbed at Ritchie Market could be enjoyed at a table in the new greenspace. This approach would also help us address soil erosion and protect the natural ecosystems from further harm.
The image below was made by our organization as a simple illustration of how this idea could come to life, to help community members visualize it and see the benefits of this renewal approach. It is not an actual design done by the City and does not represent the exact scale or technical requirements for this site. If the idea was to be pursued, City Administration would explore design options that reflect the technical aspects of the site, with renderings that are more fit to scale.
Why We Should Explore the Idea
While this may feel like a dramatic change to our driving network for some folks or too big of a dream to pursue for some advocates, we need to remember that there were once additional plans to build more roads through our river valley. The Metropolitan Edmonton Transportation Study envisioned building highways through many of our ravines, including Mill Creek, but intense community advocacy kept most of these roads out of our river valley. We also need to remember that many roads that ran along the river valley or other waterways were subsequently closed due to landslides and erosion, think Keilor Road, highlighting the downside to having a road along a waterway.
Though some may find it tough to imagine changing their travel patterns, this location is very well positioned for this change and we think people will adapt quickly. Ritchie, King Edward Park, Hazeldean and Avonmore have an above average number of exit and entry points in their neighbourhoods, allowing for quick and easy access to 99 street, Argyll, 75 street and Whyte Ave, lowering the impact on travel times from this one closure point. In addition, vehicle volumes through the ravine crossing are likely very low when you remove those shortcutting through from 75 street to 99 street from the equation.
At first it may feel like a pipe dream to redirect traffic out of Mill Creek Ravine along 76 Avenue, but if you take the time to consider the benefits our communities can gain, you’ll see it’s important to highlight it as a potential option. Infrastructure renewal only happens once every 30-50 years and we need to make the most of it when it happens, so let’s all dream big!