Liberty Bridge.JPG

Could a bridge like the Liberty Bridge in Greenville, S.C., eventually span Memorial Parkway linking east and west Huntsville? City leaders are pushing forward with a plan to do something very similar in the years ahead. (Greenville city photo)

Officials in Huntsville confirmed this week that they are planning a major new expansion of the city's greenways featuring a "skybridge" over Memorial Parkway and Governors Drive. The footbridge would link downtown to Lowe Mill and, eventually, John Hunt Park.

Here are six questions and answers about the project known officially as the Pedestrian Access and Redevelopment Corridor (PARC plan).

1. What is the plan? The bridge is part of 2 miles of new bike and pedestrian paths between Holmes Avenue on the east side of Memorial Parkway and Lowe Mill on the west side. There are three pedestrian bridges, the skybridge and a new railway bridge, plus stream control, new lighting and landscaping. It will link to and extend the greenway running between the Embassy Suites hotel and Von Braun Center on to the west.

The pedestrian-bike link between downtown and the Lowe Mill arts complex link has generated the most excitement, but Dennis Madsen, city director of urban and long-range planning, says this is "one central piece" of a bigger vision to connect Huntsville with greenways from Alabama A&M University to Ditto Landing and possibly west to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. Mayor Tommy Battle calls it "the lynchpin of the trail system and a way to connect east and west Huntsville across the Parkway."

2. Why this piece first, and why now? This section is a "target of opportunity," Madsen says. Huntsville has been given a strong signal from Washington that it could get a $25 million TIGER grant from the Department of Transportation if it can present a "shovel ready" plan. Other Alabama cities have gotten them, but Huntsville hasn't.

What makes the plan work for Washington is it would connect "underserved communities to job centers in downtown and Lowe Mill," City Engineer Kathy Martin said. That means pedestrian access across the Parkway for west Huntsville residents who work at Huntsville Hospital and other downtown employers.

3. Haven't we heard this plan before, and why is it serious now? Yes, this idea has been part of the city's vision and written about before. But this time, city officials are investing big money on the design. City officials say they wouldn't be doing that if they didn't have a strong sense from Washington that the TIGER grant will come this year, next year, or even the year after that. The mayor says the city is committed whether it gets the grant or not. It also wouldn't be making this investment if it wasn't.

4. What will it cost Huntsville? The City Council voted in May to spend $1.9 million to put designers to work on the bridge and greenway plan. If the federal grant comes through, the city will have to spend more capital money. (Read the full contract and details of the plan here and see detail of the plan below.)

5. Why is everyone excited about a pedestrian bridge and greenway, even if it does go to the Lowe Mill arts complex? City officials know that Memorial Parkway, originally built as a downtown bypass, is a major divider in the city. You can walk under it at major intersections, but the roads and the spaces are designed for cars, not pedestrians.

And this won't be just any bridge. It will cross both the Parkway and Governors Drive, and city leaders were inspired by the Liberty Bridge in Greenville, S.C., that changed the look and feel of that city. Huntsville is also working with Urban Design Associates on the overall design, and this is also a company well known for transforming other cities.

6. When will this be reality? Madsen says a "realistic timeline is multiple years." It will take a year to design the bridge and greenway section, and that has to be done first. It will take a year or longer - probably longer - to build the greenway. We won't be walking and riding on this path for a while, but city leaders say we will get there and beyond to the larger greenway plan.