LITTLE ROCK — Former President Bill Clinton on Friday helped kick off a $10.5 million project to renovate the former railroad bridge near his Presidential Center into a pedestrian and bicycle crossing.
Clinton joined a host of city and county officials, donors and others in breaking ground on the long-planned renovation, which will take about a year to complete.
In remarks made just before picking up a shovel and turning ceremonial dirt, Clinton said the finished project would help spur economic development and "make people want to come here, make people want to spend money here, make people want to move here and make living better."
"This presidential center has meant a lot to me, but we always knew it wouldn't be complete unless this bridge were turned into a walking and bike path," Clinton told a crowd of a couple hundred invited guests who gathered on the south lawn overlooking the span. "... If we do this bridge right, there will be no city in America that will have a more defining landmark."
The crossing, which was recently renamed the Clinton Park Bridge, will ramp up gradually from the front of the presidential center, providing a direct walking path to North Little Rock. Unlike the downtown Junction Bridge, the Clinton span will not feature stairs or an elevator.
U.S. Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Economic Development John Fernandez said the crossing will be an iconic structure that brings the community together and spurs additional private development, particularly on the North Little Rock side.
The project includes $4.5 million in funding from federal grants, which Fernandez called an investment in making a "better city."
"We think it's going to make a terrific difference for the city and for the region," he said.