Wald Park Pedestrian Bridge

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The Wald Park Pedestrian Bridge is a proposed project to construct a pedestrian walkway spanning 182 feet over Montgomery Highway (U.S. Highway 31) in Vestavia Hills, connecting Wald Park and the Vestavia Hills Public Library about 445 feet south of its intersection with Round Hill Road.

The concept of a pedestrian bridge over U.S. Highway 31 was discussed as part of the city's plans for sidewalks along the highway corridor, much of which was carried out in the mid-2000s. In 2006 a $1.2 million earmark for the project was included in federal legislation.

In 2009 Engineer Fouad Fouad and his students in the UAB Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering developed a proposal to construct the bridge using newly-developed high-strength composite materials. The proposal was poorly received by potential contractors and was not used. Gresham Smith & Partners was commissioned to prepared a design.

In 2016 Mayor Butch Zaragoza met with ALDOT officials to push for progress on the bridge. He learned that it would be able to move forward, but that the federal funds available had been reduced to $700,000. The Vestavia Hills City Council approved an agreement with the Department in December of that year, increasing the city's commitment to $190,000.

In January 2017 city manager Jeff Downes estimated that the project would cost $1.25 million, with the city's matching funds representing about $140,000 of that. He hoped to receive bids that spring and related ALDOT's assurance that the bridge had been moved to a priority list and would be completed by the end of the year.

A new review by ALDOT officials led to a requirement that the bridge comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990. An elevator was added to the design for the east side of the span, with ramps providing accessibility on the higher west side. The elevator and ramps were designed to accommodate bicycles and strollers as well as wheelchairs. Walkway lighting would be incorporated into the handrails on the bridge, and uplighting from the ground was included in the design. Preliminary plans were presented to the public in April 2019. ALDOT approved the preliminary redesign in September of that year.

The revised project went to bid in February 2021 with an estimated construction cost of $2.1 million to $2.6 million. 10 potential contractors attended a pre-bid conference. Only one, Taylor Miree Construction, submitted a formal bid, for $3.6 million. The city and state opted to work on a redesign rather. The revised documents were completed in 2023, with bidding expected to begin in February 2024 and for construction to be completed in 2025.

References

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