The High Level Bridge is Edmonton's most architecturally significant infrastructure — a two-deck steel truss structure crossing the North Saskatchewan River at its deepest point, rising 48 metres above the water. Built in 1913, it is one of the highest bridges in Canada and has defined the city's southern approach for over a century.
The upper deck carries vehicle traffic along 109 Street; the lower deck originally carried a street railway and now sees pedestrian and cyclist traffic along with the historic streetcar that runs on summer weekends. Standing on the bridge and looking east or west along the river valley gives you the best sense of Edmonton's topography — the deep-cut valley, the wooded banks, and the city spreading away on both plateaus above.
The historic streetcar — operated by the Edmonton Radial Railway Society — makes the crossing on Saturday and Sunday afternoons from Victoria Day to Labour Day, departing from a station at the south end of the bridge. The journey across and back takes about fifteen minutes.