By Jeremy Peppas
Stephens Media
LITTLE ROCK — State highway officials are making plans to replace an 88-year-old landmark bridge that carries thousands of vehicles daily into the heart of Arkansas’ capital city.
Tentative plans are for the state Highway and Transportation Department to demolish and replace the Broadway Bridge over the Arkansas River linking Little Rock and North Little Rock, beginning sometime in 2013, department spokesman Glen Bolick said today.
The department has set aside $45 million for improvements to the U.S. Highway 70 bridge — the Broadway Bridge, but that number is not the actual cost of the project, Bolick said.
“It is really difficult to throw a number out there. It is difficult to throw dates out there and the only work that has been done is a little environmental work,” he said. “We have no design or a cost estimate. But we have to start somewhere.”
Bolick said the next step is to hire a consultant to design the bridge and request proposals from designers.
In a recent letter the mayors of the two cities and the Pulaski County judge, Deputy Highway Director Frank Vozel wrote, “The department has made an assessment of the existing bridge structure and determined that the entire bridge should be replaced.”
The bridge first opened to traffic in 1923, said Tim Marvin, head of North Little Rock’s traffic service department.
“The bridge is structurally sound but outdated,” Marvin said Tuesday. “It no longer meets standards.”
Vozel’s letter said the new structure would have four 11-foot traffic lanes and, unlike the current structure, include bike lanes and eight-foot sidewalks.
“Traffic will be disrupted from demolition to when it is complete,” Marvin said. “It is going to be a major project, as you can imagine.”
An average of 24,000 vehicles cross the Broadway Bridge daily, according to a Metroplan report. During the bridge project, traffic would be rerouted to the Main Street and Interstate 30 bridges.
McKenzie said the I-30 bridge handles 120,000 vehicles daily, while Main Street bridge handles about 12,000.
“From this analysis, it appears that the other river crossings will be able to handle the additional traffic,” Vozel wrote.
