Work begins at the End of the World
Popular hangout to receive a $1.5-million facelift complete with viewing platform
Two decades ago, it was the site of bitter standoffs between Riverbend commuters and parkland protectors.
By early 2019, the site of the once-divisive Keillor Road will become Keillor Point, a safe and city-sanctioned lookout high above the North Saskatchewan River valley.
“We’re really happy that it’s now going to be a spot where families can come, visitors can come, and enjoy the river and the view,” said Roger Laing, chairman of the Belgravia Community League’s Keillor Point committee, on Monday.
Construction started Monday on a new staircase and platform with railings near Saskatchewan Drive and 74 Avenue at the spot that’s been informally called The End of the World. Come spring, the site will also include a sloped granular trail to make the viewing platform more accessible, said Aaron Lewicki, acting director for open space infrastructure delivery with the City of Edmonton.
Including the cost of consultations, the project comes with a $1.5-million price tag.
Keillor Road, which once connected Saskatchewan Drive to Fox Drive, was closed for good in 1996 after a lengthy tussle that resulted in a court battle and, ultimately, a referendum question on the 1995 civic election ballot. In rough shape when it closed, Keillor Road succumbed to riverbank erosion, and cracked and slipped down the slope in 2003.
It left a stunning cliff of concrete piles in its wake that has become a choice gathering spot for the adventurous. A sign reading, “Designated prohibited area no trespassing ” has done little to deter people from clambering down the dirt bank, sometimes partying and littering.
The fire department has had to come and rescue people from the slope, Laing said.
“It’s not a safe spot. It’s time to make it safe. The plan that’s in place now will do that, and it’ll be a beautiful community asset,” he said.
By the end of 2018 or by next January — depending on the weather — the public will have access to the new stairwell and lookout point, Lewicki said.
Work on the accessible trail and landscaping will happen in the new year, and should be ready for spring, he said.
When they initially planned the project, the city acknowledged the riverbank is still moving. Workers will monitor any slope movement during the project and afterward to ensure it is safe for the public, Lewicki said.
The staircase and platform have been designed to have as little impact on the slope as possible, he said.
Laing is happy the city’s naming committee has officially called the site Keillor Point, paying homage to the doctor who originally bought the land a century ago.
In 1918, Dr. Frederick Keillor, a medical doctor who became an Edmonton city councillor, bought 25 hectares between Saskatchewan Drive, Whitemud Drive and the river.
A decade later, he gave a portion of it to the city to build a gravel road down the hill. That road became Keillor Road after his death in 1971.