Jim Montgomery, P.Eng., PhD

He’s cycled the Golden Triangle across the majestic Rocky Mountains.

He has ridden his own version of the Tour de France, peddling from Barcelona, over the French Alps, and into Rome.

But for professional engineer Jim Montgomery, even epic journeys like those don’t compare to the simple joy of cycling across Edmonton’s Walterdale Bridge on his daily commute.

The bridge, with its sleek lines and elegant curves, has become an iconic symbol of the city since its soaring twin arches were raised across the North Saskatchewan River five years ago.

As lead bridge engineer on the development—one of the most complex infrastructure projects in the city’s history—Montgomery has a special connection with it.

“Bridges define the city you’re in,” he explains. “San Francisco has the Golden Gate Bridge. In New York, there’s the Brooklyn Bridge. Vancouver is known for the Lions Gate Bridge, and in Halifax, there’s the Macdonald Bridge.”

For Edmonton, that signature bridge is now the Walterdale.

Located next to the historic Rossdale neighbourhood, the bridge frames the downtown skyline and welcomes people into the heart of the city.

Dubbed one of the most “Instagramable” spots in Edmonton, the bridge draws professional and amateur photographers eager to capture picture-perfect selfies, portraits, and landscapes. It’s become a go-to destination for tourists and locals alike.

A POINT OF PRIDE

“I think the people of Edmonton view the bridge as a point of pride,” says Montgomery, who studied civil engineering at the University of Alberta before completing a master’s and PhD in structural engineering at the University of Illinois.

“It really makes me happy to see the bridge drawing people into the river valley and down to the water.”

The City of Edmonton’s vision for the new $155-million bridge—which replaced the original, three-lane truss bridge built in 1913—was to create a landmark gateway into downtown that would blend seamlessly into the natural surroundings and become a public gathering place. More than just a bridge, the City wanted an experience for Edmontonians. Which is why it hired local design firm DIALOG to bring the vision to life.

“Clients need to have courage to do a special bridge like this,” notes Montgomery.

The team at DIALOG, including Montgomery and his colleagues Donna Clare, an architect, and Doug Carlyle, a landscape architect, presented four bridge designs. The City considered each for its appearance, functionality, and cost. After public consultations, the City selected the single-span arch—the first of its kind in Edmonton.

Built from 4,900 tonnes of steel and 6,300 cubic metres of concrete, the bridge spans 206 metres from bank to bank—longer than two football fields. It has three northbound lanes for vehicle traffic and a sidewalk to the west of the roadway.

A separate shared-use footbridge for pedestrians and cyclists, located to the east, is Montgomery’s favourite part of the project. Its curved shape mirrors the curves of the arches. It provides a quiet place to linger and enjoy pastoral river-valley views away from the hustle and bustle of the main deck.

“There are high-backed seats along the shared-use path, made of steel plate, so you don’t even notice the traffic going by,” he says.

ENGINEERED TO LAST

Construction of the bridge began in 2013, with most of the work wrapping up in 2017. Bringing such a monumental vision to life brought with it some monumental engineering challenges.

Like building the arch-rib foundations.

Excavations for these supports, on the north and south banks of the river, penetrate 20 metres into the clay-shale bedrock. That’s about six storeys below the water table. They took more than 18 months to complete.

The massive steel arch ribs—constructed in South Korea and transported to Edmonton in 42 pieces—vary in cross-sectional sizes from 2.5 metres by 2.5 metres at the base to 1.4 metres by 1.4 metres at the crown.

The bridge deck and shared-use footbridge suspend from the arch ribs by 32 hanger cables that range from 11 to 16 centimetres (4.3 to 6.3 inches) thick. Assembled on shore, DIALOG floated the arch ribs into place on a river barge, then hoisted them into position. The bottoms on each side of both arches had 58 holes, which were carefully aligned and connected to 58 anchors embedded in the foundations.

Each arch was meticulously bent into shape by the tightening of the cables, like fine tuning a harp or tightening the spokes on a bicycle wheel. The arches tower 40 metres above the deck, the same height as a 10-storey building.

STAMP OF APPROVAL

Montgomery led the expansive team of engineering consultants and construction contractors who took the bridge from vision to reality.

“No one delivers a project like the Walterdale Bridge on their own,” he explains. “You need a strong team of professionals to complete a complex project, supporting each other when challenges occur.”

One of the biggest challenges they faced was fabrication delays with the Korean-made arches, which put construction two years behind schedule and under heavy public scrutiny.

“Working through construction, that’s not for the faint of heart, especially when things aren’t done on time or things go wrong. Problems always come up, and you’re judged by how well you solve those problems.”

At the end of the day, Montgomery is proud of what they achieved and confidently believes the bridge will safely carry people over the river for the next 100 years or more.

That confidence comes from the fact that the professional engineers who worked on the bridge are licensed members of APEGA, which regulates engineering and geoscience professionals in Alberta. As well, ISL Engineering and Al-Terra Engineering handled the overall project management and roadway design. These two firms, like DIALOG, are licensed APEGA permit holders.

“DIALOG engaged a lot of engineering consultants to do technical work on the bridge,” he adds. “Seeing the engineering stamps on the drawings, it made us feel comfortable, knowing we could trust the work was done by professionals who are committed to public safety and have the expertise required for such a complex job.”

PUSHING THE LIMITS

As a professional who has worked on several major infrastructure projects—among them the Royal Alberta Museum, the Valley Line LRT, the Enbridge Centre, and the Winspear Centre—the Walterdale Bridge stands out as a career highlight for Montgomery.

“I think what’s different about this project, and what I’m most proud of, was the integration of the engineering, architecture, and landscape architecture. Everything came together to elevate the design and create a special place in our city that people can enjoy for generations.”

Perhaps one day, when his grandkids visit from Calgary or Toronto, Montgomery will take them for a bike ride across the bridge and tell them how professional engineers defied gravity to raise the 125-tonne arches into the sky.

For now, he’s focused on providing earthquake engineering expertise on his next big project: the $2.83-billion Broadway Subway in Vancouver.

“Engineers are known as innovators. For me, innovation is about not being afraid to bite off more than you can chew,” he says. “It’s about taking on more challenging projects, trying to do better, to make your community better, contributing, and pushing yourself to do things you haven’t done before.”