Cochrane mayor Ivan Brooker addressed the Top 3 priorities of the recently established River Heights Community Association (RHCA) during council’s Feb. 24 meeting.
The group appeared before council to get an update on the Bow River bridge crossing, the completion of a gravel haul road and the implementation of a crosswalk across River Heights Drive in front of Bow Valley High School.
Brooker said the Bow River bridge crossing was ‘looking positive,’ and that the project would take approximately one year to design and about one and a half years to build.
Doug Lawrence of the RHCA questioned whether the bridge would have a pedestrian or bike lane, but with the design pending, specifics could not be confirmed.
Kathy Dietrich, senior manager of planning and engineering for the Town of Cochrane, said administration was trying to nail down exact dates when the bridge design would begin. Brooker pointed out that construction for the bridge has always been slated for 2019, as indicated in the town’s 10-Year Financial Strategy.
The mayor said it was not simply the bridge that needed to be designed before construction could begin, but negotiation with four landowners for the road leading to the bridge as well.
Lawrence said that a bridge was promoted to potential River Heights buyers by the town and developers as being a second entrance/exit to the community. At present, the only access in and out of River Heights is by way of Highway 22.
Lawrence also said that when there are collisions on Highway 22 resulting in a road closure, residents in River Heights are faced with lengthy detours to get to and from their homes.
As for the gravel haul road, Brooker indicated that weather had played a factor in the timeframe for its completion, and that he expected the road to be completed once temperatures permitted.
Lawrence said the town had specified to River Heights residents that the road would be finished much sooner, and with several large gravel trucks having to pass the high school daily, it was imperative the project be completed.
A crosswalk on River Heights Drive will also be completed in the near future, said Brooker, disclosing that the town had already ordered the solar crossing lights and they would be erected in the near future.
The RHCA can be followed on its Facebook page and are in the process of developing a website.
