Chinatown Gate Design and Construction

Project Update - August 2026

• A temporary full closure of 97 Street between Jasper Avenue and Okîsikow (Angel) Way is scheduled to begin on/around Monday, August 24, to erect the steel structure of the gate. 
  • 97 Street will be temporarily fully closed to vehicle traffic between Jasper Avenue and Okîsikow (Angel) Way for approximately two weeks.
  • Drivers are encouraged to use 95 Street or 100 Street (northbound-southbound) and Jasper Avenue or 103A Avenue (eastbound-westbound).
  • Vehicle access will be permitted on 97 Street between 102A Avenue and Okîsikow (Angel) Way (including access to the Canada Place parkade on the west side of 97 Street north of Okîsikow (Angel) Way)
  • Pedestrian access is maintained on both sides of 97 Street. 
  • Construction during the closure will occur during daytime hours Monday through Sunday.
  • Following the full closure, temporary nighttime closures (8 pm - 6 am) of the same section of 97 Street will occur for an additional two weeks (around September 8 - 21) to set up scaffolding and hoarding. The nighttime work will occur seven days a week.  
  • Following the nighttime closures, one northbound lane on 97 Street north of Jasper Avenue will be temporarily closed during daytime, off-peak hours for approximately three weeks for material delivery.
  • More information on events in this area can be found on the City’s Festivals and Events webpage.
  • To keep up to date on the closures near you or on your route, visit the Traffic Disruptions Map.
  • More information, including a map, can be found in the July 2026 Construction Notice.
• Construction of the new gate is expected to be completed in 2027.

Art Selection

There are four art panels on the new gate. Artwork for the two south-facing panels will be supplied by the City of Harbin. Artwork for the two north-facing panels is being designed by a local artist team. An Art Selection Committee was formed to choose the successful artist(s) following a Request for Qualifications process in late 2025. In June 2026, Emily Chu and Halie Finney were named the successful artists.

• About the Artists: Emily Chu is a Chinese artist known for her place-keeping drawings and murals, and has founded art and storytelling projects such as Chinatown Stories Map and the popular Togather Chinatown Arts Festival. Halie Finney is a Métis artist, illustrator, tattooist, and was a core member of Ociciwan, an Indigenous contemporary art centre in South Chinatown, from 2020 to 2025. The artists are passionate community members whose friendship originated while both working in South Chinatown. As the gate is a symbol of friendship, Emily and Halie will work together to explore shared stories of community resilience and cultural retention. They will be exploring themes of finding home and a sense of belonging.
• A message from the artists: “We are honoured to contribute artwork towards the new Chinatown Gate. We are looking forward to meeting with community members to hear their stories of finding home and community in Chinatown. We understand the important task as artists to accurately capture and reflect our cultures, traditions, and stories on this long-awaited landmark. Including local art on this gate is a beautiful way to commemorate Chinese and Indigenous resilience and friendship. It allows us to tell the story of our Chinatown on this land, on Treaty 6 territory, where our communities practiced their traditions, harvested sustenance and medicines, and are lucky to have called this our home. As Chinese and Indigenous artists, we aim to express a unified message of friendship, community care, and a warm welcome on the entrance into a community of peoples and histories we care deeply about."

More information about the artwork will be released once it is finalized. 

Project Information 

The new gate will replace the original version that was located on 102 Avenue. The original gate was dismantled and put into storage in 2017 to accommodate the construction of the Valley Line Southeast LRT. 

In 1987, the original gate officially opened to commemorate the sister-city relationship between Edmonton and the City of Harbin in China’s Heilongjiang Province. Edmonton’s Chinese Benevolent Association (CBA) partnered with the City for the establishment of the gate, and for 30 years it stood as a representation of the friendship between the two cities.

The City of Edmonton has worked with the City of Harbin and Edmonton’s Chinese community on the design of the new gate. Construction began in March 2026 and is expected to be completed in 2027.

View from Jasper Avenue looking north

View from Okisikow Way looking south