Located in Kil-cona Park in Winnipeg, a series of four pedestrian arch bridges were assembled in 1988 as part of a trail network within the southwestern area of the park. The bridges, all of which feature limestone veneers, were formed by a series of precast concrete sections designed by Wardrop Engineering Incorporated, manufactured by Con-Force Structures Limited, and installed at the designated sites (rather than built in situ inside the park) by Gusco Construction Limited amid the contiguous water retention pond. The bridges were formed via 39 precast segments, highlighted with the utilization of only two forms for pouring all the arch and end sections, greatly increasing the scaled-efficiency in their creation. There is a single three-arch bridge, two double-arch bridges, and a single one-arch bridge, the smallest of which was either added later or not mentioned in sources from that time.
In 1988, this project was one of 16 bestowed annual honours by the Professional Design Awards Program of the Prestressed Conrete Institute [PCI, since renamed the Precast/Prestressed Concrete Institute] from a selection pool of 150 entries that year, 27 of which were bridge projects of varying span sizes. PCI awarded Wardrop Engineering with the Special Jury Award for design excellence and a commemorative plaque was affixed to the largest of the briges in partnership with the City of Winnipeg Streets and Transportation Department and the Parks and Recreation Department.
Precast concrete bridge and commemorative plaque (September 2023)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Precast concrete bridge and commemorative plaque (September 2023)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Precast concrete bridge (September 2023)
Source: Nathan Kramer
Precast concrete bridge (September 2023)
Source: Nathan KramerSite Coordinates (lat/long): N49.93185, W97.04167
denoted by symbol on the map above
See also:
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Kil-cona Park (Springfield Road, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: Harbour View Golf Course / Harbour View Recreation Complex (1867 Springfield Road, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: East Kildonan Horticultural Society Plaque (Kil-cona Park, Winnipeg)
Historic Sites of Manitoba: North Transcona School / Beaman School (Springfield Road, Winnipeg)
“PCI Professional Design Awards Program; Kil-Cona Park Pedestrian Bridges, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada”, PCI Journal, September-October 1988, pages 30 & 49.
“Firm honored,” Winnipeg Free Press, 28 October 1988, page 28.
This page was prepared by Nathan Kramer.
Page revised: 6 May 2024
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