Iron Triangle-based nonprofit Pogo Park is unveiling the conceptual design for a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge on the Richmond Greenway that would cross over 23rd Street, the Union Pacific railroad tracks and Carlson Boulevard, closing a significant trail gap.
The design will be unveiled during “Bridge Week,” a series of public events from Dec. 5-10 in Richmond, according to Pogo Park.
Donald MacDonald Architects, which creates award-winning bridges around the world, including the new eastern span of the Bay Bridge, has worked with hundreds of Richmond residents and key stakeholders over the past 18 months to create the proposed design for the 23rd Street Bridge Project. Funding to plan, design and develop the bridge concept came from an Environmental Justice grant.
The design is inspired by the shape of an osprey diving into the water. The osprey is Richmond’s official bird. Pogo Park says the design delivers on community requests for a unique, iconic bridge that puts Richmond on the map.
The 23rd Street Bridge Project aims to connect the eastern and western sides of the Greenway pedestrian and cycling path at 23rd Street. Currently the pathway is cut off by 23rd Street, Carlson Boulevard and railroad tracks, and pedestrians and cyclists must travel under a dangerous overpass and walk through a confusing set of city streets to get to the other side, according to Pogo Park. When complete, the 23rd Street Bridge “will offer users a safe, simple, and beautiful way to cross these intervening roads and tracks without ever leaving the Greenway,” the nonprofit said.
The City of Richmond and a team of partners secured a Caltranas Environmental Justice grant. Project partners include the City of Richmond, CivicWell, Fehr and Peers, Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, Donald MacDonald Bridge Architects LLP, Cornerstone Structural Engineering Group, Vallier Design Associates Inc., Pogo Park, Groundwork Richmond, CSW | ST2, and Dirt World.
