Ann Arbor city officials mark the reopening of Gallup Park’s bridge with a ribbon-cutting ceremony today.
The original 1975 wooden bridge was demolished earlier this year, due to structural integrity issues.
Ann Arbor Parks and Recreation Park Planner Hillary Hanzel says the new bridge now features 10-foot pedestrian walkways on both sides, doubling the space of the previous bridge. One thing the new and old bridge have in common is having a single vehicle lane.
Hanzel adds this was important to keep for both aesthetic and safety reasons.
“The old bridge being a single vehicle lane, you had to stop and pause and kind of yield to any kind of traffic before entering the bridge. And that was really important for slowing speeds, giving people an opportunity to look around, make sure there weren’t any pedestrian conflicts.”
Hanzel says city federal funds and community support helped made completing the new Gallup Park bridge possible.
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