The Mechanized River Valley Access project (MRVA) will provide connectivity between downtown and the river valley and improve accessibility for all users. The existing wood staircase will be reconfigured and partially re-purposed within the new design. The $24 million project is anticipated to open to the public in late 2017.
The MRVA is one of five capital projects that received $72.9 million in funding from the River Valley Alliance, as well as the provincial and federal governments. Of this, the City contributed $1.4 million.
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PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE & LOOKOUT
The pedestrian bridge was installed over two weekends in October. Grierson Hill Road was closed over to accommodate a 400-tonne crane, which took eight hours each time to set up and take down. Two steel girders were installed across the road and concrete panels were placed on top of the girders.
The bridge lookout comes to the edge of the river and stands approximately 10 m (three stories) above the shared-use trail.
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MRVA FACTS
• Pilings: 212 screw piles and 52 large-diameter concrete piles.
• Funicular: 3 m x 2.2 m (can fit up to 20 people). Will fi t bikes, strollers and wheelchairs and be open during park hours. Will work like an elevator, with a call button, and be free to all park users.
• Total length of walk from top of the hill to the bottom trail: approximately 260 m.
• Once the project is completed, landscaping will add 50 new trees and 2,000 new shrubs.
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MARCH-MAY
• Grierson Hill wooden stair closed.
• Trees and shrubs removed along the project area.
• Screw pilings installed to support urban stair and funicular
rail.
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JUNE—AUGUST
• Concrete pile caps completed for the urban stair.
• Concrete pours begin for the foundations and walls of the funicular machine room and elevator.
• Concrete slab pour begins for the upper promontory.
• Installation of structural steel for the urban stair and the funicular rail.
• The funicular cab fabricated in Switzerland.
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SEPTEMBER—DECEMBER
• Funicular rails and steel for urban stair.
• Emergency stairs installed for the funicular.
• Concrete work for upper promontory and elevator.
• Backfilling around urban stair and funicular.
• Urban stair stringers.
• Funicular canopies, urban stair railings installed.
• Funicular controls, cables.
• Funicular cab arrived and cable system tested.
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