Workers from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities' Bridge Sections inspect the pedestrian bridge which, until Thursday, crossed Mendenhall Loop Road about one mile northeast of Egan Drive. An oversize vehicle struck the bridge Wednesday night, accrding to a release from DOT. The strike caused the bridge to be unsafe for pedestrian use, and so DOT removed it Thursday evening, department spokeswoman Brenda Hewitt said. She said she did not know when, or if, the bridge would be replaced or repaired.
Courtesy of Brenda Hewitt
Workers from the Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities' Bridge Sections inspect the pedestrian bridge which, until Thursday, crossed Mendenhall Loop Road about one mile northeast of Egan Drive.
Comments (15)
Add commentbonk!
Well at least the removal and replacement will be paid for by SJS Construction's insurance company.
I definitely hope they put it
I definitely hope they put it back. It is a very busy street to try to get across otherwise.
overpass
I certainly hope they replace it and consider putting one down by Floyd Dryden. It is absolutely necessary!
The safety of children
Should be the foremost thought when considering the absence of the bridge, I hope the memory of the young man that was lost in that intersection is enough to convince DOT to replace it. I shudder to think that it might take another young life to accomplish the replacement. LOTS of children cross there to get to Grade School.
does anyone use this?
So there is a 20 mph school zone and cross walk at the light. The only time I have ever seen anyone actually use this overpass walkway is when kids are dropping stuff on cars going by. I dont think this is needed anymore. It is not ADA compliant anyway. If it is rebuilt fence the sides of the road in the school zone so that we can go 40 again, this way the kids have to use it instead of the crosswalk. Those that are physically challenged could still use the crosswalk at the light - restrict this to ADA uses. Takes 15-20 minutes to get from the glacier to Egan if you try it between 7:30-8:00 AM.
pedestrian overpass
Does anyone use this except to spit on cars?
Why did they make this out of
Why did they make this out of wood? A cost saving measure I'm suppose. It's really become an eye sore and appears to be a dry-rotted mess.
Overpass was not adequate.
I used that overpass growing up but times have changed, it was not lit up enough, not old and down right scary to kids.
I hope they put up another one but closer to the lights may get more use. if not light it up better and Plexiglas the sides so kids can't toss stuff onto the cars.
I don't know that one is needed by Floyd however, if you are trying to come out of there the only hope is when the lights turn on and the crossing guard stops traffic. No one else would ever stop to let traffic out. But the entire area does need to be revamped. Mendenhall loop is the main artery out of the valley in the morning and the traffic can be backed up from Kodsoff to passed to the Mendenhall lights.
I also do NOT agree with bringing the speed limit up to 40mph in the morning. No mater how many walkways, crossing guards, etc there are kids all over in the morning and getting somewhere fast is NOT more important than kids getting to school safe!
Sad to see the
Sad to see the disintegration, instead of renovation, of my old stomping grounds.
Shoot....back in the day when I used the over pass. We carried o
Shoot, back in the day when I used the overpass (Early 80's) we carried our bike's up/down the stairs of the over pass. We didn't dare use the crosswalk.
icon
this bridge has been an icon for the valley for year.. my MAIN concern is for the young kids crossing the road to get to school at Glacier Valley Elem. That section of road has claimed enough lives since the addition to Haloff and the traffic light being placed in. That road needs a safe place for our children to cross, the cross walk doesnt stay lite long enough for people or children to cross, AND the road warriors in the morning dont care who is in the road as long as they make it to work on time.
DOT needs to adjust the
DOT needs to adjust the timing of the light at Haloff. The people turning left on to Glacier Loop are forced to drive aggressively and jump out in front of people turning right off Steven Richards because they share the same green light. Haloff needs it's own turning movement. That would be the safest for kids and Ped's crossing the street.
Drunk Walking
With that bridge gone, I predict there will be an upswing in drunk-walking deaths as people leave the theater with empty flasks and have no way to safely cross the street.
Bring back the bridge. I make
Bring back the bridge. I make our kids use it and growing up, I carried my bike up the stairs to.
It should be on the construction company to pay for the damages. There are laws on height for this specific reason.