A 140-foot steel bridge that will soon connect hikers and cyclists between the city's John Rowswell Hub Trail and the mountain bike trails in Hiawatha Highlands is now in place.
"One of the big things we've been doing is investing and promoting in Hiawatha Highlands and Kinsmen Park. To be able to create a connection where you can get from essentially anywhere in town up to that park without needing a car is going to be an incredible addition to the community," said Travis Anderson, the city's director of tourism and community development.
The recreational bridge spanning over the Root River was recently installed on site with the use of two large industrial cranes.
"The bridge itself is prefabricated, so it came in two pieces. We had to lift it by crane and connect the two halves once they were sitting in place — it's a solid structure," Anderson said.
The bridge is intended for non-motorized traffic. It was sourced from Thorndale, Ont.-based Algonquin Bridge, while Steel Speed Erectors of Sault Ste. Marie was granted the contract to install it.
A trail that will connect the bridge to the Hub Trail on Third Line will be finalized in August, said Anderson, and playground equipment and interpretive signage will also soon be added to the park.
"It's kind of a hidden gem because if you go there in the fall, you'll see salmon coming up the river. There's bald eagles and all sorts of wildlife. There's trout all year round and it's one of those areas that people just haven't used because they either don't know about it or they don't have easy access to it," Anderson said.
Workers will need to get everything connected and have the site cleaned up before the spring melt causes the water line to rise.
At its most recent meeting, city council agreed to transfer $250,000 of city tourism funds to support the construction of the recreational bridge in Wishart Park, connecting Hiawatha to the Hub Trail on Third Line.
The money won't come from the tax levy, but from the municipal accommodation tax paid by visitors to the city.
— with files from David Helwig