Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Little Rock Government Broadway Bridge plans unveiled
Posted by Max Brantley on Tue, Feb 7, 2012 at 9:38 AM
The Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department this morning released preliminary design ideas for a replacement for the Broadway Bridge.
Among other details, the Highway Department said its initial commitment of $45 million for the bridge will be increased to $58 million, based on preliminary engineering studies.
Here's a link to a page about the three proposals. Two are similar, one with red brick detail and one without. The link will give you some more detailed looks at proposals for pedestrian walkways and the like. The website has other details, including an aerial view that shows where existing ramps will be removed or replaced and where an existing Doubletree Hotel entrance will be closed. There are a couple of ideas shown for linking the bridge to Dickey-Stephens Park.
The two types of bridge design chosen tend to be somewhat cheaper and quicker builds than a couple of other designs — a twin-tied arch or cable-stayed (a design that won favor in an unofficial bridge design contest that Metroplan sponsored.)
The public is invited to view them and talk with officials about them at a meeting from 4 to 7 p.m. today at the Arkansas Transit Association, 620 W. Broadway, North Little Rock.
The existing bridge is safe and could be repaired, but highway officials have decided a wider span with better accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists is preferable to continuing repair. Local officials have urged a striking architectural design for the span to make a city landmark. My own preference is for a utilitarian span upriver, at Chester Street, for an additional river crossing. Then, after it's in place and there's an outlet for traffic, replace the Broadway Bridge, which gets heavy rush hour traffic. Rush hours downtown will be hellish if the bridge is closed next year for replacement. The closure could last 18 months or more.
Speaking of Broadway Bridge, Arkansas Highway And Transportation Department
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Comments (10)
Showing 1-10 of 10
Everything about No. 1 says 1B. Why put those little nipples on there? They are completely out of scale. Personally, I prefer No. 2. They are all better than that mess the City came up with. Thank God!
Your idea is too practical Max. We can't have good government in LR, people might come to recognize it.
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"The existing bridge is safe and could be repaired, but highway officials have decided a wider span with better accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists is preferable to continuing repair"
Isn't doing this cheaper and less disruptive to the morning/evening commute than building a new one?
I thought accommodations for pedestrians and bicyclists weren't going to be funded anymore according to some post here at AT a week or so ago?
No matter what is built, one thing will remain: The traffic jam inducing devices at each end - otherwise known as stop lights.
I wish more attention were paid to who, how or what needs to be done to correct that.
Also, I anticipate the AR department of cars and trucks will take great delight in taking no consideration into shutting down the river trail that passes under each end for an entire 18 months. Afterwhich, when the bridge is open, we'll be having the discussion as to who will repair the trail surface likely to have been damaged during bridge construction.
Why Ron, you know they will construct another one of their "simple" detours that will force cyclists to use Markham and contend with trolleys, cars, etc.
After experiencing 5:00 traffic trying to get across the Broadway or Main Street bridges last week I feel sorry for those people if/when Broadway is shut down. Downtown LR streets will be gridlocked.
You guys ever get the feeling the folks in charge are just playing Sim City writ large?
Wish we had something like that over here in Polk County to replace the 1935 one lane bridges on Highway 1.
MarkKyle64, note this bridge is to be funded by the Arkansas Highway Department, not federal dollars as I understand it. AHD is not bound by the same restrictions (plus I don't think the feds have approved them, anyway) and can fund whatever amenities like pedestrian and cycling lanes they wish.
P.S. Cato, you can have the old Broadway bridge, but Polk County is responsible for moving it to its new location.
Hear the voice of one crying in the wilderness: "My own preference is for a utilitarian span upriver..."
Like they're going to build TWO bridges? I know, I know. You're an idealist.
I'm for concept #2. It echoes the current design and is not nearly as boring as the other options.
The Arkansas Department of cars and trucks have it noted in a one page memo that they will afford accomodations to pedestrians and cyclists firstly if they feel like it and secondly if the local dollars help pay for part of it.
I think some federal money will pay for this bridge. Some federal transportation dollars - less than 1.6% of the entire transportation budget shared among all states - are available (until and unless a new transportation bill is passed to the contrary) that the State DOT can request some of the 1.6% money to help fund designs for active transportation modes.
I've suggested before and will suggest again that we need to concentrate on the 3 R's...Re-Routing, Reducing & Re-Purposing. Whichever bridge design is chosen, it should be built ALONGSIDE the existing bridge, with a re-routed Broadway approaching from LR and ending at Dickey-Stepens Park. Imagine at 4th & B'way a slight NW shift of the existing Broadway, across what are currently surface parking lots, to approximately where Gaines St. dead ends at Markham. Build the New Broadway Bridge OVER the existing Entergy substation, while incorporating the necessary utility and natural gas transmission line relocations into the new span. Once the New B'way Bridge is built, the current one can be closed to vehicular traffic permanently and retro-fitted to a ped/bike crossing that connects both itself and the New Bridge to the already wildly popular River Trail system. The patch of real estate between City Hall and the Robinson Center could be turned into a visual and actual gateway to the entire thing. The most important part of this idea is that it DOES NOT DIVERT A SINGLE VEHICLE during construction. AHTD's own figures are 24,000 vehicles a day use the current B'way Bridge. Anyone who crosses ANY of these bridges daily will be affected by the current "Demolish & Rebuild-in-the-same-place" plan. This alternative not only ELIMINATES that entire nightmare of traffic and congestion (thus speeding construction time and reducing cost), but also eliminates the entire demolition budget (portions of which could then be directed to upgrades to any of the existing designs). Furthermore, Robinson Center's operations would not be affected in ANY way with this idea, as the status quo remains thus until the New B'way would open to their west. If, in the process, the existing LR Courts Building (molding and mildewed) had to be demolished to make room for the New Bridge, well, that'd just be a bonus, wouldn't it?
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