BIRMINGHAM, Alabama -- Construction of a $2.5 million pedestrian bridge linking Railroad Park and the new mass transit station downtown will serve as an aesthetic and functional amenity for the city, officials said.

Birmingham-based MBA Engineers has recently begun design work on the structure, which will run from Railroad Park to 16th Street South and Morris Avenue. MBA has a $295,400 contract.

Chuck Faush, Mayor William Bell's chief of staff, said bridge work would coincide with the creation of Birmingham's intermodal bus and train stations on Morris Avenue.

"When intermodal was cleared and when we knew it was going to be realized and we knew that 16th Street was going to be the entrance way, it made sense to further that bridge along," Faush said.

Construction of the $30 million intermodal transit station should begin in a few months, Faush said. The project is funded by $24 million in federal grants and $6 million in city money, all of which has been approved.

"We just want to use economies of scale," Faush said. "We want to try to present it so they both run in tandem where it benefits construction and consumer usage."

The bridge project is funded through bond money approved by voters in the late 2012 referendum to borrow $150 million for city-wide infrastructure improvements.

Faush said users of the new intermodal station could walk out and access Railroad Park and the baseball park from the bridge.

A parking lot at Morris and 16th Street North will also serve as the bridge entryway. The lot is also expected to be used by visitors to the Regions Field baseball park.

"You're going to have foot traffic going back and forth to both areas," Faush said. "We know how important it's going to be for intermodal traffic. It really provides another gateway."

Council President Johnathan Austin, whose district includes downtown, said both the intermodal project and the new bridge would enhance downtown and encourage greater use of mass transit.

"For the last several years, I've been advocating for an increased effort to improve our transit system and one way to help that is to build a new transit facility," Austin said. "People who are getting off the train or waiting to board the train can visit Railroad Park and enjoy its amenities."

Faush said the city would work to incorporate lighting on the bridge, similar to what accents the new Children's hospital building.

The City Council's recent approval of the MBA contract was approved without debate.

Councilwoman Valerie Abbott, who had previously panned the bridge proposal when it was presented by Bell in 2012, ultimately agreed to its funding.

Abbott noted that the project had been included in the list of bond-funded initiatives.

"I also realize that the majority of the council thought it was good idea," said Abbott, chairman of the Budget and Finance Committee. "There are times when you aren't taken with a particular project, but the majority of the council voted for it."

At the time, some council members, including Abbott, questioned the need for such a project at the same time the city faced longstanding needs in both neighborhoods and in aged parts of downtown. Several said the money would be better spent on residents' longtime needs rather than new downtown monuments.

"It's one of those things that it's past time to be making comments on whether it should be done or not and it's time to move ahead," Abbott said.