ORLANDO, Fla. -- A nearly $10 million pedestrian overpass bridge is coming to downtown Orlando.
- Pedestrian bridge under construction in downtown Orlando
- Many hope the bridge will make downtown safer for pedestrians
- Overpass will include Gertrude's Walk to Orlando Urban Trail
The bridge, which is still under construction, will be built over Colonial Drive near North Garland Avenue.
The overpass will include Gertrude's Walk to the Orlando Urban Trail, as well as downtown's North District.
Jazmin Diaz and Lexington Martinez work downtown and for them getting around on foot in the busy area can be a little nerve-wracking.
“I’m like ‘I hope nobody hits me,’" said Diaz.
“The cars don’t care; they get really close to you, almost hitting you,” Martinez added.
They’re both stylists at the Trend Studios Ultra Salon which is right next to Gertrude’s Walk: a trail that will soon be connected to the new pedestrian bridge.
Each day as many as 46,000 vehicles cross the intersection of Colonial Drive where the bridge is being built, according to city officials.
Garcia says it’s never easy getting from one side of Colonial Drive to the other.
“It was really scary, it’s really bad,” said Martinez.
Nearly 500 crashes occurred along that stretch of Colonial Drive near Interstate 4 between 2013 and 2015.
City officials say the new overpass bridge and will help pedestrians and cyclists get around more safely, and it will also jazz up the scenery.
“It’s also sort of a gateway element to downtown as well and so there’s a couple architectural features that we added to the design to kind of make it pop,” said F.J. Flynn, deputy director of transportation for the city of Orlando.
With the recent pedestrian bridge tragedy in South Florida, Martinez says the structural integrity of the overpass is all he cares about.
“I hope they would make it really strong and safe,” he said.
The 200-foot bridge is being constructed with a method called a box truss assembly, which utilized steel beams. It will also have smaller piers at each end and stay cables for extra support.
“Two different construction methods; this is steel, much lighter and the other structure in South Florida is concrete," said Flynn.
For some who work Downtown, the bridge is a welcomed sight.
“Anything that makes walking downtown easier is something that’s going to be great and useful," said Diaz.
Martinez says he's grateful for more options.
“Probably a lot easier than crossing the road and waiting for these cars to almost hit me,” he said.
Once the bridge is complete it will connect pedestrians and cyclists to Orlando’s Urban Trail and Gertrudes Walk, creating a trail connection that will extend into the core of downtown Orlando.
The bridge is slated to be completed this fall.