It’s taken about 40 years for the idea of a pedestrian bridge over the Grand River in Galt to be taken seriously – but now it will only take a few months to see it through to completion.
Cambridge residents packed a meeting Tuesday night to get their first look at potential designs for the footbridge, which will connect Grand Avenue and Water Street just south of Main Street.
“The structure would utilize the same alignment and part of the infrastructure for a former railway crossing that existed there a number of years ago,” said Jay Cranstone, an architect working on the project for MMM Group.
While the idea of the bridge has been discussed since the 1970s, it’s only in recent years that the project has picked up steam.
David Emberly was one of its earliest proponents.
Shown the design concepts Tuesday night, he said his first thought was that it didn’t look like his city at all – but after more explanation and reflection, he was more in favour of the ideas being put forward.
“It’s very beautiful, actually,” he said.
People working on the project are now moving into more detailed design work, with construction of the bridge expected to start in the summer and wrap up before the end of 2016.
The bridge will be erected near the University of Waterloo School of Architecture, whose students helped develop the potential designs shown Tuesday night.
Its cost is estimated at $1.25 million.
