Construction of the Glacier Skywalk will stop at the end of this week, leaving Brewster Travel Canada鈥檚 newest tourist attraction 鈥渟ubstantially complete鈥� until work resumes in the spring.
On Oct. 4, Rusty Noble, the general manager of the Glacier Discovery Centre, led a preview tour of the structure. He explained that, after a few minor touch ups in the spring, it will be open for business in May.
The structure, which won an international architectural award in 2011, is a feat of engineering: it鈥檚 a gleaming arc of glass and steel jutting out almost 280 metres above the Sunwapta Valley, seemingly laughing in the face of gravity.
It鈥檚 held up by 82 compression anchors, each driven 40 metres into the rock, 鈥渟ucking鈥� the structure back against the cliff face.
The glass-floored observation walkway was installed in one piece and its spring-loaded supports hold it to the main structure, allowing it to flex with strong gusts of wind.
The glass is only about 10 centimeters thick and is composed of three laminated planes fused together with adhesive and covered with a thin protective layer.
As he beamed at the tour group last week, Noble said there are 6,000 screws holding the one section together.
When the Skywalk, then called the Discovery Walk, was first proposed in 2011, it caused an uproar both locally and nationally, as opponents expressed concerns about the mountain goat and bighorn sheep populations in the area, as well as the privatization of a piece of the park.
More than 180,000 people signed a petition condemning the project on the online activist network Azaaz.org, and Parks Canada received more than 2,000 comments on its environmental assessment.
Many were angry that Parks Canada and the federal government had given the green light to commercial development, arguing it would open the doors to even more large-scale construction in Jasper National Park.
In an interview Oct. 8, Greg Fenton, the park鈥檚 superintendent, explained that despite the public鈥檚 fears, that won鈥檛 happen because Parks 鈥渓ooks at proposals on their own merit.鈥�
鈥淭here鈥檚 a whole suite of policy and legislation pieces that have been put in place to manage effective growth and development,鈥� he said.
As for concerns about the goat and sheep populations in the Sunwapta Valley, Michael Hannan, president of Brewster Travel Canada, said his company continues to monitor their activity, and he believes the population is doing fine.
An executive summary of Parks Canada鈥檚 environmental assessment also concluded that construction was 鈥渘ot likely to cause significant adverse environmental effects.鈥�
Fenton acknowledged the effects of the project won鈥檛 be known for some time, but said that Brewster and Parks have been studying wildlife populations closely and they still seem to be visiting the valley.
Hannan admitted the project has both supporters and detractors, but said he wants Jasper residents to see the structure for themselves. He believes once people experience it first-hand they may change their minds.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really trying to get people to understand this is a holistic tour,鈥� he said.
Trevor Nichols
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