Signage For Banff Bridge Renaming Expected to Cost Over Double Initial Estimate

Banff town council is moving ahead with the installation of permanent wayfinding signage for the newly renamed Thunder Medicine Pipe Bridge, a project that will cost more than double the initial estimate.

The pedestrian bridge, completed in 2013, is one of the town’s most used crossings but has never been formally named. In Sept. council unanimously approved renaming the structure following consultation with Elders of the Blackfoot Confederacy, replacing the informal Muskrat Street Bridge name.

Initially, the project was expected to cost under $15,000. “We’ll have a cost estimate between $12,000 and $15,000 to complete this work,” said Randall McKay, Banff’s strategic planning manager, during council deliberations.

However, a new service level request outlines a total one-time project cost of $30,000, along with ongoing maintenance costs of about $4,000 per year starting in 2027.

According to the request, the $30,000 includes $5,000 for consultation with the Blackfoot Confederacy on interpretive content, $5,000 for professional sign design, $16,400 for manufacturing, and $3,750 for site preparation and installation.

The funding allows for the installation of one permanent interpretive sign near the bridge’s entrance. The sign will explain the name, its Indigenous meaning and its connection to the site. It also covers the development of a full translation by Blackfoot members, which will be included on the signage and in online materials.

The renaming has been described as part of Banff’s reconciliation strategy under its Indigenous Framework, adopted in 2022. With McKay connecting the project to the government's goal to support cultural revitalization, language preservation and reconciliation with Indigenous peoples.

The name Thunder Medicine Pipe Bridge, pronounced Ni Naim’skah Ko Yin Ni Mai Pas Tan in Blackfoot, refers to a sacred object that is surrounded by significant Indigenous tradition and protocols.

“They felt that this was something that really related to what they felt, what they saw and what they believe is part of the spirit of the place where the Banff townsite is located,” McKay told council.

While the bridge has not yet been formally marked with the new name, the council discussed the possibility of holding a naming ceremony with the members of Treaty 7. However, nothing has been approved at this time.

Signage for the Thunder Medicine Pipe Bridge name is expected to be installed on-site later this year, marking the first time the crossing has carried an official name since opening over a decade ago.