Five river valley docks to be completed in Edmonton
EDMONTON Edmontonians should have more chances to get closer to the river this fall with a renewed set of docks.
Five docks — and a number of riverside amenities — along the North Saskatchewan River are slotted for completion this fall in Laurier Park, Hawrelak Park, Dawson Park, Capilano Park and Whitemud Park, said Martina Gardiner, the city’s director of open space infrastructure Monday.
The docks are designed to “open up the use of the water to everyone in Edmonton,” she said.
At 50 Street, Capilano Park is receiving an expanded boat launch. New retaining walls are in store for Hawrelak Park and Dawson Park.
The docks are designed to be for general use, for people who use the river and for trail users just looking to get closer to the water.
“We’re really hoping that people who may not necessarily have been able to boat before, or have that experience, may now have it,” Gardiner said. “It can be a little intimidating when you go down to the river with your fresh kayak to try and find a spot.”
Emily Murphy Park will receive upgrades as well after the Groat Road Bridge is rehabilitated.
The docks came about as part of a $73 million grant in 2012 from the River Valley Alliance, a non-profit formed by seven Alberta municipalities along the North Saskatchewan River, as well as the federal and provincial governments.
The dock upgrades have been planned since 2015. Construction took time to consider the environment and the different needs of river valley users.
At Whitemud Park, the planned dock was moved downstream after an environmental group, the Sierra Club, raised concerns that the construction would disrupt fish.
Despite the move, the Whitemud dock is also on track to open this year, Gardiner said.
Aside from funding the docks and river upgrades expected this
fall, the grant was also spent on the river valley funicular, the Terwillegar Park footbridge and new upgrades to trails in the city ’s west and east ends.