Dozens of Edmontonians flock to new Tawatinâ Bridge pedestrian walkway for grand opening

Dozens of Edmontonians lined up Sunday to check it out the Tawatinâ Bridge pedestrian walkway that is now open below the Valley Line LRT.

It’s a major milestone for a long-delayed pedestrian bridge in Edmonton.

The river crossing was torn down five years ago, and since then, some residents in Cloverdale and Riverdale have felt cut off from each other.

The Tawatinâ Bridge has now opened its pedestrian walkway below the Valley Line LRT and dozens of Edmontonians lined up to check it out Sunday.

“We’re very excited. It looks great,” resident Carly Piche said.

While there is still no movement on the transit line above — as service isn’t expected to be running until the summer — below was a celebration filled with live music, a smudging ceremony, hot chocolate and a lot of foot traffic.

“The communities have been blocked off from this access point for many, many years now, so it’s just wonderful that it’s opening back up again,” Ward O-day’min Coun. Anne Stevenson said.

“Without that sense of connection, we really felt isolated, and it’s a type of connection that works for humans, just regular traffic and for animals too,” said Danny Hoyt, a Riverdale Community League past president.

The 260-metre-long bridge deck features more than 400 Indigenous-inspired artworks.