Just in time for the holidays, construction work was completed on a new Spray River bridge connecting the Goat Creek and Spray River West Side trails in Banff National Park, Dec. 22.
This past summer, the Spray River Bridge at Goat Creek was destroyed as a result of increased water flow from the TransAlta Spray Reservoir. To address public safety concerns, TransAlta Utilities assumed all costs and replaced the bridge.
The new structure, located 10 kilometres up the Spray River West Side Trail from the trailhead near the Fairmont Banff Springs hotel, has a longer span to accommodate any future increases in water flow.
Delaying until after the cross-country ski season would have meant no Spray River Bridge access to the Goat Creek Trail for the entire winter. Post-winter replacement work would have required waiting until the after the springtime run-off, significantly affecting the summer trail offering on the Spray and Goat Creek Trails.
With the new bridge in place, parks visitors and residents can now use almost 20 kilometers of trails along two popular cross-country ski trail in Banff National Park.
Current trail conditions and other Banff National Park visitor information can be found on our website at http://www.pc.gc.ca/eng/pn-np/ab/banff/index.aspx
