Damage means delays on Whoop-Up bridge
By Lethbridge Herald on September 3, 2025.
Alejandra Pulido-Guzman
Lethbridge Herald
Damage to the Whoop-Up Drive bridge was worse than initially believed, which will cause more construction delays for westside commuters, the City of Lethbridge said Tuesday.
Jason Drenth, Acting Director of Infrastructure Services, said when crews opened up the bridge top on the inside westbound lane, they found it to be more damaged than shown in the original inspection.Â
“What that means is that our repair planning is continuing,” said Drenth. “We are devising a plan to make repairs as soon as we get that plan in place and start to return the bridge to normal activity.”
The initial assessment was done from the outside under the bridge and showed damaged steel in the girders.Â
“But once we opened it up, (inspectors) were able to take more direct measurements of the damage inside the girder and noticed that the damage has been deflected more than originally thought,” said Drenth.Â
The damage happened on Aug. 6, when a privately owned and operated flatbed trailer carrying heavy equipment struck the underside of the bridge and additional engineering work will confirm the exact size of the damaged areas on the two most affected girders.
“What you will see more of now is that the lanes will start to change effective today. If you are going westbound, you’ll cross the river in the middle,” said Drenth.Â
Ongoing inspections confirm the change is safe, as the girder under the westbound middle lane is not as damaged as the two inner lanes on both sides.Â
The peak hour lane changes will remain in effect from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. to help alleviate westbound traffic.
“That will continue on for the next little while,” said Drenth.Â
“ We anticipate until early October, as we continue construction on the bridge deck.”
He said last week’s concrete pour, for the bridge’s expansion joints, was successful and that’s why the rehabilitation work is now moving to the outside westbound lane.Â
“We explored an alternative that would have allowed two westbound lanes to remain open full-time,” said Drenth. “Expert review confirmed this plan means fewer delays today and down the road. It’s also the best approach to maintain safety for motorists and workers.”
The city said the peak hour lane changes have resulted in improved traffic flow and fewer collisions on Whoop-Up Drive. As summer vacation ends and post-secondary students return to classes, we ask for continued vigilance on all local roadways.
The restriction on heavy load trucks – excluding standard pickup trucks – continues to apply for westbound traffic on Whoop-Up Drive. Until further notice, all heavy load vehicles are required to detour via Highway 3.
17-16
The wait times are really not that bad and most of the time I see drivers following the rules and working with the other drivers by zippering one by one. I have noticed over 90% of drivers being kind to one another and zippering properly so all can get to where they are going faster.
I have been fortunate to have travelled most of North America and in major cities and even compared to Vancouver or Toronto traffic, getting back and forth to the westside is by far faster than other cities. Before Calgary had Stoney Trail, Deerfoot at times turned into a parking lot.
One of the secrets I learned that got everyone home faster and safer was for everyone to follow the rules, respect the other drivers, and stay calm.
When road rage happens, accidents happen and then we all have to pay the price of waiting in line! Think about it!! It may only take 15 minutes maximum to get from Scenic Drive to Univerity drive . . . it may seem longer, but time it sometime! If you lived in bigger centers your drive to work often is around 1 hour.
Be patient, pay attention, follow the construction rules, stay off your phones so you don’t cause an accident and accept that it is what it is!
Not fair to compare little old Lethbridge to huge cities like Vancouver, Toronto and Calgary. Lets try Red Deer with 4 river crossings and Medicine Hat with 3.
I want to draw attention to the fact that, in 2009, the city knew that a third bridge would be expensive and despite the city’s financial situation and the substantial expense of a new bridge, development increased in last 10 years, seeing over 10,000 more people live on the Westside of Lethbridge
Our excellent planning department made yet another mistake!?
Chinook Trail, as it will be known, was presented back in 2009 and would link University Drive near the community of Riverstone with Scenic Drive by Lethbridge College.
The estimated cost back then, was between $140 and $150 million. It was recommended the project be done in 25 years.
No sooner that the first Whoop Up bridge opened in the late 1970s the City had plans and land right of way for a crossing McLeod Drive to Scenic Drive. This would have taken pressure off the U of L entrance and Whoop maintenance. As for money to build doesn’t the City collect off site levies from new development for this purpose? I say freeze all Westside development until the transportation issues are resolved.
Space and land owned by the city was set aside for Chinook Trail 50 years ago. The planning department let development go ahead perhaps to close to Chinook Heights and Tudor. Regardless the rich and powerful will get that location shut down, although it is probably the most cost effective location.