It never hurts to ask for more.
That may be the lesson to come out of talks between Miami River advocates and design engineers hired by the Florida Department of Transportation for replacement of the Southwest First Street Bridge.
Persistence has led to a larger public walkway on the river.
Early plans to replace the aging drawbridge included no public walkway on the river’s edge. The Miami River Greenway Action Plan calls for an improved public riverwalk on both banks of the river.
Reminded by river advocates of the growing riverwalk, the design engineers came back in May and reported that $5 million has been added to the replacement project to construct a public riverwalk.
Members of the Miami River Commission’s Urban Infill and Greenways Subcommittee were happy to see plans for the riverwalk, but expressed concerns that it would be too narrow in some spots. The plan showed the walkway as narrow as 6 feet in places.Committee members asked for more.
Design engineers considered the request and reworked the plan again to see how far they could go in a wider riverwalk.
When the design team met with the full river commission in June, the plan showed an expanded riverwalk, which at its narrowest point would be about 10 feet wide.
The Southwest First Street Bridge carries eastbound traffic into the heart of downtown. The 86-year-old bascule bridge rises and opens to permit water traffic to pass.
More than 8,500 cars a day traverse the span, owned and operated by the state. But the bridge is considered structurally deficient.
“It’s safe to travel upon but reaching its limits,” said Michael Sileno, from the infrastructure engineering firm Hardesty & Hanover, hired by the state for the bridge replacement.
Mr. Sileno is with the design team that’s been meeting with local officials as the project progresses.
Work to replace the bridge is to begin in 2018 and be done in 2021. A project list from the state shows the estimated cost is $86,962,459.
The bridge was built in 1929 at a cost of $300,000.
Mr. Sileno presented a PowerPoint on the status of the project and explained some challenges posed by the endeavor.
After his presentation, the river commission voted to support the project, with five conditions: a riverwalk as wide as what Miami 21 calls for (a standard minimum 25-foot-wide riverwalk featuring a minimum 15-foot-wide unobstructed pathway); signage directing motorists and pedestrians to the riverwalk; artwork associated with the project to be top of the line (porcelain enamel); mechanical equipment used to open the bridge be state of the art to open and close as fast as possible; and the architectural design to be the Hybrid Control House Alternative 1.
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http://www.miamitodaynews.com/2015/0...or-new-bridge/
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Good one.
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