Edmonton's Harbin Gate on the move this weekend

Valley Line LRT construction crewshave started removing the Harbin Gate from 102nd Avenue just east of 97th Street in downtown Edmonton Friday.

The gate has beena prominent feature ofChinatown since 1987, when it was constructed to symbolize friendship with Harbin,China, Edmonton's sister city.

It will be removed from its foundation and loaded onto a special transport vehicle Friday night.On Saturday, it will be moved to a city storage facility in Cromdale, Valley Line builder TransEd said in a news release.

Removal of theHarbinGate is necessary to allowLRTtrains to travel on102ndAvenue. The city has not decided where the gate will be installed after the construction project is complete.

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"We know that some Edmontonians are sad to see the removal of the Harbin Gate and we want to assure them that we are taking extreme care to move it safely," Colin Hill, TransEd's deputy project director, said in a statement.

"For your own safety, please obey all signs and the directions of construction and transport personnel," said Mr. Hill.

The gate was originally intended to be moved last spring. Two stone lions were removed from the landmark in April. But the project was rescheduled, in part because part of unrelated construction work along the approved route.

Moving the gate is "challenging work, so it is important to stay a safe distance from the construction site," TransEd said.

There are parking restrictions along the route the gate will travel and TransEd is also warning about noise on the weekend.

TransEd warns of the following public impacts:

• Full closure of 102nd Avenue at 97th Street starting Oct.30.
• There will be very slow-moving traffic along the route on Saturday night.
• There will be no parking in certain areas along the route from Friday to Sunday. Any cars parked in these areas will be towed to a nearby street.
• Residents along the route can expect to see a lot of flashing lights as Edmonton Police Service will be escorting the gate to the location.

TheHarbinGate was originally intended to be moved last spring. The project was rescheduled, in part because part of unrelated construction work along the approved route.

The southeast leg of the Valley Line LRT, running 13 kilometres from downtown to Mill Woods, is scheduled to go into service in December 2020. The project has a capital cost of $1.8 billion.

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