Residents will choose the name of the new Bow River bridge, council determined last night, going one step further than the original recommendation of administration.

Councillor Tara McFadden proposed council let the public chose from three possible names shortlisted by council by an online vote. Originally it was suggested council make the decision from a shortlist of three names.

Phase One of the public consultation on the naming was launched by the town at May's trade fair and has continued online through Let's Talk Cochrane. They received 60 suggestions at the trade fair and 11 more since online as of June 1. A special public event will be also be held in September where residents will be able to present their ideas to council.

All suggestions will be classified into categories that align with the town's naming policy and the Cochrane Historical and Archival Preservation Society will be consulted to fill in the gaps and verify categories. An online survey will be used to determine the top three names in each category. From there, council will review recommendations of the top three submissions and then an online poll will take place.

Councillor Alex Reed was initially opposed to the idea, saying he believes the process proposed already allowed for plenty of public input and believed council was elected to make decisions.

Councillor Morgan Nagel was insistent there be controls in place to ensure only town residents vote and that participants won't be able to cast multiple votes by utilizing aliases.

The name is expected to be finalized in early 2019.

Public engagement on the naming was inspired after Town Councillors Morgan Nagel and Alex Reed sought to have it named the "Veterans Bridge" in January. Council rejected the idea and instead opened the door to allow the community to have a say.

Drawings and final costs estimates are currently underway for the bridge that will connect Griffin Rd. to the James Walker Trail.