A $2.7 million plan for the proposed walkway along Broadway Bridge will start making its way into city board meetings and the private sector this week in presentations from Pulaski County Judge Buddy Villines, who is seeking contributions to fund it.
The walkway, originally designed as a 20-foot expanse in 2012, would be 16-feet wide, run along the east side of the bridge and pay tribute to military veterans.
About half of the $2.7 million would include LED lighting, akin to the lighting on the Two Rivers Park bridge. The Broadway Bridge is also part of the Arkansas River Trail.
In 2012, the design included portions of the bridge painted red, white and blue as part of the “America’s Bridge” theme, but the painting scheme changed after Villines discovered the maintenance would be too much.
While aspects of the bridge design have changed, the “America’s Bridge” theme remains, Villines said.
But how much of that design reaches fruition will depend on how much money public and private entities contribute.
Villines plans to continue making presentations about the effort to public and private entities over the next few months. He even started a bridge fund through the Arkansas Community Foundation with his brother.
Tonight, Villines will start by presenting the updated walkway plan to the North Little Rock City Council, he said.
North Little Rock Mayor Joe Smith said last week that he was in favor of the walkway and tribute to veterans, but he is unsure how much the city could contribute.
“We said from Day One, and I believe everybody agrees, we want a nice bridge,” he said, adding that Villines’ designs would make the bridge a special place to visit.
“I would be interested in helping if the number is less than $50,000,” said Smith, whose cash-strapped city financed this year’s budget by using money from reserves.
Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola said he wasn’t sure what the city could come up with if it chooses to contribute to the project. He also said he’s a “strong proponent” of lighting up the bridge, and called the military veterans tribute a “very excellent idea.”
“I would like to see all the bridges lit,” he said.
“I know it’s going to take money, and I’m ready to help the judge in any way possible,” said Stodola, noting he could offer to help raise money or look into whether Little Rock could spare some funds.
Entergy Arkansas contributed $2 million toward lighting three Arkansas River bridges in Pulaski County last year in an effort spokesman Sally Graham said coincided with the organization’s 100th anniversary.
She said in a Friday email that Entergy cannot fund the Broadway Bridge lighting, but the state’s largest utility would be “happy to lend a hand in offering what was learned from lighting” the other bridges.
Arkansas, Pages 7 on 02/24/2014