A group seeking public input on the design of a new span to replace the Broadway Bridge officially kicked off its efforts Friday with an online survey and design concept competition.
Metroplan, along with several area leaders, said with just two public hearings scheduled that they want to open more of a dialogue with residents and get full participation on the new design to replace the 88-year-old span that connects Little Rock and North Little Rock.
The group is seeking feedback through an online survey, available at www.NewBroadwayBridge.org. It includes six questions and an optional comment box.
The competition is asking for design professionals (architects, engineers or architectural or engineering students) to submit proposals that will be voted on by the public before a jury of local officials makes a final decision.
“We’re not asking our residents to actually design the bridge, but we want to find out what concepts people want to be included,” says Jim McKenzie, executive director of Metroplan, the regional planning organization for central Arkansas.
So far, comments on the group's Facebook page and www.newbroadwaybridge.org website have ranged from support for an iconic bridge design to concerns about the cost of the project. A couple of people have made mention of a bridge with bicycle lanes.
The Highway Department is to hold its first public hearing in mid-December. Highway officials are replacing the Broadway Bridge because they say it is more cost effective to build a new one than maintain the existing span.
The department projects $45 million for the teardown of the old bridge and construction of a new one.
Information for this article was contributed by Noel Oman of the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.