Mayor and council will soon decide if the non-motorized Rotary Centennial Bridge and adjacent sections of the Millennium Trail will become motorized. If this concerns you please let them know.
The Rotary Centennial Bridge and Millennium Trail are the fulfillment of a long-time dream of Father Jean-Marie Mouchet. Father Mouchet’s special mission was to bring hope and health to our communities through active living. He envisioned a trail that would allow everyone, regardless of his or her abilities, the opportunity to get out and be active.
The Rotary Centennial Bridge provides non-motorized access from Riverdale across the Yukon River to the area near Yukon Energy and allows trail users to complete a loop around the Yukon River. Use of the Millennium Trail and Rotary Centennial Bridge has grown immensely over the last decade. Approximately 315,000 annual visits involve walking, jogging, biking, roller blading, cross-country skiing, bird watching, and many other forms of active recreation. We are very fortunate to have a showcase trail like this in our community.
You can view chinook salmon at the Whitehorse Rapids Fishway, walk or bike a short distance to see kayakers below the Rotary Centennial Bridge, and occasionally see harlequin ducks feeding a short distance downstream. I often see people spending quiet moments on the bridge and trail with older relatives and children. Where else can you find a city that has the vision to develop a non-motorized loop trail along a river?
The Riverdale Community Association and a number of other associations on the Whitehorse Trails and Greenways Committee oppose allowing off road vehicles on the Rotary Centennial Bridge and adjacent sections of the Millennium Trail. The City is seriously considering allowing offroad vehicle traffic on the pedestrian bridge. This will require many modifications which include “traffic lights”, warning signs, trail relocation, additional paving, and perhaps a crosswalk for off road vehicles across Robert Service Way. The estimated cost is close to $50,000.
You cannot, of course, kill a bridge - but you can kill the enjoyment this bridge and trail give to many active residents and visitors by motorizing it.
The fate of this bridge and trail is now in the hands of mayor and council. It’s unfortunate that more people are not aware of what may soon be taken away from them. Please let mayor and council know how important this non-motorized bridge and trail is to you.
Patrick Milligan
Whitehorse