I always get asked to write about the Peace Bridge, which is currently (barely) being built on the banks of the Bow River.

Because it seemed too easy a target, I never really wanted to. Of course it’s frustrating that the bridge’s completion continues to be delayed, but if all I was going to do was complain about the bridge like everyone else, the column felt totally unnecessary.

But the more I read about the bridge, watched its progress – no matter how slow – the more I felt for the bridge.  (We can discuss my ability to have feelings for inanimate objects some other time.)  

The more people complained about the bridge’s budget, timeline or repairs, the more I found myself poring over artists’ renderings of the bridge and imagining how it would look when it was finally complete.

Sure, the bridge looks like a Chinese finger trap, and, yes, the project is already a year behind schedule, but when all is said and done, I believe it will bring a new energy to an area that so badly needs it.  

I was recently in Chicago, a city full of amazing architecture – architecture that’s now complemented by the equally impressive Millennium Park.  While I wandered through the gardens, I imagined what Chicagoans must have thought when they saw the initial designs for the huge park, which includes a sculpture that looks like a giant kidney bean.  

It was initially greeted with grumbles of anger, but once the park opened and people saw the benefit of having the park, those feelings of disdain were quickly converted. The bean, actually called Cloud Gate, quickly became a tourist destination – one that brings in millions of dollars annually to the area.  

While I don’t think the Peace Bridge alone will drastically revitalize the area, it’s definitely a step in the right direction.

If Calgary is to continue to grow, we need to have things like the Peace Bridge. It shows the rest of Canada that we will eventually rival them and their rich history. We need to take advantage of all our land and continue to create innovative spaces.

Whether you’re willing to admit it or not, 20 years from now we’ll have a hard time imagining life before the controversial bridge.  After all, what would Paris be without the Eiffel Tower, Toronto without the CN Tower, or Saskatoon without … OK, bad example.

The Peace Bridge will be worth the wait. Remember: Rome wasn’t built in a day.

Mike Morrison is the perfectly bald head behind Mike’s Bloggity Blog. He
also tweets regularly from @mikesbloggity.