Even before the flooding, there were plans afoot at City Hall to replace three historic suspension bridges along the Elbow River. After the flooding at a Council Committee meeting a City staff person spoke about inexpensively replacing the three spans (herald story reference). But how did the existing bridges fare?
The bridge at Elbow Drive to Rideau Road, the only wooden one, was pretty much wrecked including the cable-supporting bridge towers. On the other hand, the towers and cables of the two steel bridges at Sandy Beach and at Sifton Boulevard - Riverdale Avenue survived intact, though the suspended bridge decks were mangled. All the bridges were recently added to the City's heritage inventory. Here is hoping that surviving infrastructure is used to support new bridge decks and that all the bridges continue to contribute to historic character.
Links to information about the bridges:
Rideau Park
http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/LUPP/Pages/He ... urceId=704
Riverdale-Sifton Blvd.
http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/LUPP/Pages/He ... urceId=706
Sandy Beach
http://www.calgary.ca/PDA/LUPP/Pages/He ... urceId=704