A. Lee Graham Reporter lgraham@bizpress.net
Motorists will have a new east-west thoroughfare in southwest Fort Worth when a new bridge opens this week. Boasting four lanes, the Clearfork Main Street Bridge opens with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 10:30 a.m. Friday April 26. A pedestrian bridge suspended below the primary structure is still under construction and is expected to open on June 3. The 1,800-foot roadway and bridge connects Stonegate Boulevard to Clearfork Main Street, linking Hulen Street to Bryant Irvin Road and the Chisholm Trail Parkway, which opens in spring 2014. The bridge spans 550 feet in length with a center span of 220 feet, and will carry two lanes of traffic in each direction. The vehicular bridge features precast concrete beam segments spliced together using post-tensioned steel strands, forming a streamlined continuous structure. The high-water pedestrian bridge will accommodate walkers, runners and those with wheelchairs and strollers, among other users, on a pedestrian level suspended below the vehicular bridge. The pedestrian level features river overlooks and ramps intersecting with trails on both sides of the river. Funding the project were the city’s voter-approved 2004 bond program and the 2007 critical capital needs program, approved by the City Council.
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