[Brown Duckz]

Riverwalk path back on course

By Jill Nolin


The Riverwalk expansion project is back on track after running into an unexpected 40-foot-wide obstacle.

Workers were laying the foundation for a pedestrian bridge downtown along the Alabama River when they encountered underground rocks as big as 20 to 40 feet in diameter, causing work to be delayed and the original plan to be scrapped.

The contractor and a city official said they believe railroad workers placed the rocks there, possibly in the 19th century, to keep the Alabama River from eroding the shoreline.

"It's something that wasn't done in anyone's lifetime who is alive now," said Andy Carroll, project manager with Scott Bridge, the contractor for the project.

"It was more than what our 100-ton crane was comfortable picking up. We were very surprised to find that," he said.

The construction crew went to Plan B -- drilling through the enormous rocks.

The work is part of a multi-phase project to make the downtown riverfront area more pedestrian friendly.

The current phase, which cost about $3.6 million, includes a 625-foot walkway that will run parallel to the shoreline -- nearly half of which is a pedestrian bridge -- and the foundation for a tower for a pedestrian overpass that will go over the train tracks.

"The Alabama River is just a fabulous resource that any community would want to have," said Michael Briddell, assistant to the mayor. "For a long time we didn't really exploit it for all its value and beauty. Ultimately, we hope to make that a gathering place."

Originally, the first phase was supposed to be complete this month. The new deadline is early spring.

The next phase, which will cost an estimated $5 million, will be open for bidding once the first phase is completed, according to Patrick Dunson, assistant city engineer for Montgomery.

The pedestrian overpass, which will connect to the intermodal facility, and the tower will be built during the next phase.

The work crews also found what Dunston believes are timbers from an old boardwalk or dock.

Dunson said he has seen old photographs of a boardwalk that was once along the river.