Secure Spaces program begins with nighttime closure of downtown pedestrian underpass

Medicine Hat – Work to rehabilitate the sidewalk and extend the railing along First Street SE begins this week to support an initiative that will see the downtown pedestrian underpass closed at nighttime starting this fall.

Starting Sept. 4, 2023, the downtown pedestrian underpass that connects South Railway Street SE and North Railway Street SE under the railyard in Medicine Hat’s downtown will be closed nightly between the hours of 11 p.m. and 6 a.m.

The underpass provides convenient connectivity between North and South Railway Streets to more than 600 daytime pedestrians every weekday. Through downtown police patrols and staff inspections, it is increasingly clear the infrastructure is not being used as intended, particularly late at night.

“Even if the risk is borne from innocent intentions like folks just trying to keep warm, the City has an obligation to do our best to protect from unintended consequences when we are aware of a safety concern that is preventable,” said Pat Bohan, Managing Director of Development and Infrastructure. “We believe the closure will have minimal negative impact to people’s ability to get around at night but offer the maximum opportunity to prevent serious accidental outcomes.”

The project team conferred with the Working Group for Accessibility and Inclusion who supported the sidewalk along First Street SE as a satisfactory alternate route during the hours the underpass is closed. The City will invest in rehabilitating that sidewalk and extending the railing along First Street SE in conjunction with this project.

The nighttime underpass closure is the first initiative under the program dubbed “Secure Spaces.”

“We’re unsure if the program will expand to other initiatives, but we can certainly see the potential as we continue to ensure all of our infrastructure is used safely and as intended,” adds Bohan.

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