High Level, Low Level bridges to be replaced, potentially demolished: city report

The High Level Bridge is seen on May 19, 2026. (Brandon Lynch/CTV News Edmonton)

A report from the City of Edmonton has a timeline to potentially demolish the High Level and Low Level bridges in the coming years as their end-of-service-life nears.

The report, which was viewed by city council Tuesday, said analysis confirms the need to prepare for the eventual decommissioning of both bridges.

“Replacement of both bridges is required to maintain connectivity, support long-term city growth, and better accommodate transit and active transportation,” said the report.

Council will make budget decisions on the Low Level Bridge in the 2027-2030 cycle and on the High Level Bridge in the 2031-2039 budget cycle.

The southbound Low Level Bridge saw repairs completed in 2025, but further repairs will need to be done until it is decommissioned, said the report.

The northbound Low Level Bridge will remain and eventually be converted into a bicycle bridge.

An Edmonton landmark, the High Level Bridge was built by the Canadian Pacific Railway Company between 1910 and 1913, and is one of few ever constructed to combine four modes of transportation, including train, streetcar, vehicle and pedestrian.

“At 113 years old, the bridge is beyond the end of its lifecycle, making rehabilitation a high-risk, high-cost endeavour with an extended construction schedule,” said the report. “Every 20 to 25 years, another renewal will be required, each time more expensive and riskier than the previous, if even possible.”

The report estimates that maintaining the High Level Bridge for the next 75 years could require a total investment upwards of $1 billion.

While the remaining service life is estimated to be between 10 to 15 years, the city intends to perform maintenance and rehabilitation to the bridge, such as removing a vertical column that obstructs the sidewalk and deterring over-height trucks from impacting the bridge.

An anticipated timeline for the Central Area Bridge Renewal has the demolition of the High Level to be delivered between 2040 and 2042.

The High Level Bridge was designated a Municipal Historic Resource in 1995, meaning that it cannot be demolished or “inappropriately altered.” However, council could repeal the bylaw that gives it designation in order to replace it, which has only been done three times since 1982.

The infrastructure committee is scheduled to discuss the Central Area Bridge Renewal Update on Monday.

More to come.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Jeremy Thompson