We’ve all heard about it, or if you haven’t, you’re hearing about it now, but a massive section of the north Bow River Pathway (BRP) is closed. The closure extends from 29th St. NW to 14th St. NW, and is the result of a combination of waterworks, pathway rehabilitation, and the Crowchild Tr. upgrades.

The City of Calgary recently released a map of how cyclists and pedestrians can get around the construction:

The city map suggests a couple of options:

From the downtown side, cross the river via 14 St, and access Broadview road, either by the underpass, just north of Memorial, or via the community entrance, NW of Memorial Dr. The road is a community road and has low traffic, but no bike lanes. From the south BRP, cross the Crowchild Tr. bridge and head towards downtown. A bridge across Memorial Dr. will help you access a new pathway to Kensington Rd. Again, community roads with low traffic but no bike lanes will help you connect to 29 St. and the remainder of the BRP from Crowchild Tr. Please note, at Kensington Rd. cyclists should WALK across the crosswalks due to the speed of exiting traffic from Crowchild Tr.

What we want to tell you, and what the city does not mention, is that a couple other alternatives exist if you are travelling from further afield and wish to avoid the mayhem completely:

From Edworthy Park, a bridge exists to access the south BRP, visible on this map. This pathway will take you to both 14 St. to cross back to the north portion of the BRP, or it will allow you to access downtown. This pathway however, is in poor condition, and is VERY bumpy. Alternatively, as per our own map here, you can travel on a painted bike lane from 10th St. NW to 5th Ave. NW, all the way to 29 St. From 29 St, you can easily access the remainder of the BRP, or NW Calgary. Though crossing Crowchild Tr. at this location on the road can be a bit hairy, it is doable, and lanes exist on both sides of the intersection (circled in green). Additionally, on the west side of the intersection, a pathway to the north will take you to a green space through Parkdale, for those willing to do a hill-climb and avoid traffic in the neighbourhood. The trails through the greenspace are unpaved (as per dotted black line), but will allow you to access pathway and bikeway connections at the Foothills Hospital. A bikeway adjacent to 10 St. NW exists closer to the LRT, and is well marked, with direct access to a bridge across Memorial Dr. and the river. Ultimately, these two detours may be more attractive to those looking to avoid crossing Crowchild Tr. by foot at Kensington Rd. or for those looking to avoid the mess completely.