The Harahan Bridge Project: Walk, Bike, Run across the Mississippi

Today's guest post is written by Paige Walkup, managing director of Caissa Public Strategy who is working with the Harahan Bridge Project on its  initiative to convert the abandoned roadways on the Harahan Bridge into a bicycle/pedestrian crossing over the Mississippi River, connecting downtown Memphis, Tennessee, and Arkansas. As a nonprofit management and fundraising professional, Walkup has worked extensively in the fields of community building, affordable housing development, and applied social research. The Harahan Bridge will be an important connection across the Mississippi River and we hope to see it designated part of U.S. Bicycle Route 80, which connects Oklahoma City, OK; Little Rock, AR; Memphis and Knoxville, TN; all the way to Raleigh, NC, and the Atlantic Coast.

With unprecedented views and new connectivity between downtown Memphis, Tennessee, and West Memphis, Arkansas, the Harahan Bridge Project will connect visitors to the river in a new and unique way.

The project is the centerpiece of the recently awarded $14.9M U.S. Department of Transportation TIGER grant for the Main Street to Main Street Multimodal Connector project. This project will connect downtown Memphis with West Memphis, Arkansas, via the Harahan Bridge.

Completed in 1917, the Harahan Bridge was designed for train, vehicle, and pedestrian use. After the Memphis-Arkansas bridge (currently I-55) was completed in 1949, the roadways of the Harahan fell into disuse; the wooden planks that formed the roadways were removed in 1954. Rail service has continued, with the bridge servicing 20-25 trains daily on its two tracks. The cantilevered structural steel supports for the roadway are still in place and in good condition providing a base for the reconstruction of the pathway across the river. At 4,932 feet long, the bridge will be one of longest rails with trails projects in the nation and will include a new surface for the bicycle- and pedestrian-ways, and new safety fencing along the walkway.

 Reopening the existing roadways of the Harahan Bridge to bicycle and pedestrian traffic will provide not only expanded bike-ped resources for Memphians but it will create a spectacular walkway across the river that will be a regional and national attraction, bringing tourists to downtown Memphis for the unique experience and one-of-a-kind views. ?The Harahan Bridge will be an unparalleled attraction on our riverfront and will allow Memphians and visitors alike the opportunity to connect to the river in a new and exciting way. It also provides a critical link in the rapidly expanding network of trails, greenways, bike lanes, open spaces and parks that is connecting our community,? said Barbara Hyde, President of the Hyde Family Foundations.

 
Greg Maxted, executive director of the Harahan Bridge project, often shares the fact that there is no way to bike or walk across the Mississippi River at Memphis.  ?Currently cyclists are almost forced to take a bus from West Memphis to Memphis or divert their travel plans to another city along the river corridor." Maxted recounted, ?On a recent ride across Arkansas, we came to a point in West Memphis where we just had to stop at the base of what will be the new connector of the Harahan Bridge into Arkansas. It was a great feeling to know that in the near future people will be able to literally bridge this gap."

Building on the recent success of the Shelby Farms Greenline, the Harahan Bridge project will be a catalyst for the continued expansion of our regional greenway system; including the extension of lines north to Shelby Forest, South to T.O. Fuller State Park and southwest into Arkansas along the levees.

According to the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, every day thousands of Americans run, bike, and hike trails located along active rail lines. There are over 1000 ?rails to trails? paths in the United States, of which there are over 60 ?rails with trails? sites. Rails with trails sites, like the Harahan Bridge Project, are built directly adjacent to active railroad corridors and offer shared use paths that are physically separated from motorized vehicular traffic by an open space or barrier.

To learn more about the project and see more images, visit www.harahanbridgeproject.com or follow them on Facebook for the latest updates and project news. Top image and video by Chase Percer with O.T. Marshall Architects, historic photo courtesy of the Memphis Public Library commercial appeal archives, middle and bottom photos provided by the Harahan Bridge Project.

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BUILDING THE U.S. BICYCLE ROUTE SYSTEM (USBRS) is posted by Ginny Sullivan, USBRS coordinator at Adventure Cycling, and features news and updates related to the emerging U.S. Bicycle Route System. The USBRS project is a collaborative effort, spearheaded by a task force under the auspices of the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO). Members of the task force include officials and staff from state DOTs, the Federal Highway Administration, and nonprofits like the East Coast Greenway Alliance, and Mississippi River Trail, Inc.

Source: http://blog.adventurecycling.org/2012/08/the-harahan-bridge-project-walk-bike.html

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