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copyright 1999, Tracy-Williams Consulting.
It's a pedestrian/bicycle overpass of a railroad yard separating Missoula's Downtown from the historic Northside neighborhood (at right). The site was chosen to combine decent bike and ped linkages on both sides with the narrowest section of railyard (about 250' wide at this point). Crossing the tracks meant keeping 24 feet of clearance below the structure (to allow for "piggy back" rail cars). As a result, the gain in elevation required to reach the crossing is considerable and, while the ramps meet ADA limitations on slope and landing requirements, project sponsors decided to include elevators in the twin towers. The towers are 50' x 50' and ramps are 10' wide. At mid-span, the structure widens slightly to accommodate those who stop to watch the trains go by.
The photo above shows the bridge being lifted into place by two cranes on June 3, 1999. Montana Rail Link officials agreed to close their tracks for 6 hours to allow placement of the structure but the contractor only needed half that much time to accomplish the task. The bridge raising made front-page news in the local paper, the Missoulian, and was seen on the evening news.
Project costs were slightly more than $2 million. Major funding came from the Federal Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ) Program with a substantial local match provided by the Missoula Redevelopment Agency. HDR Engineering did the design and project management work. The Contractor is Bodell Construction.
The project is the culmination of some 10 years of effort on the part of local advocates with the Northside and West Side Neighborhhood Associations. Advocates first petitioned the City to provide a crossing in the early '90s. Intial efforts led to a 2-day charette followed by lengthy negotiations between residents, local officials, and railroad management. The new structure provides an alternative to a dark and dingy 350'-long underpass that for years has served as the only link between one of Missoula's oldest neighborhoods and the town's center.
For more information on the project, contact Geoff Badenoch of MRA.
Update: Since its opening in July, the overpass has seen steady use. My casual observation (while using the structure to walk to work) shows that in a typical crossing, one is likely to pass or be passed by 4 to 8 people on bike or on foot going in one direction or the other. A friend who rides the overpass has found similar numbers. This contrasts remarkably with the "dark and dingy underpass" mentioned above. In all the years I walked through that structure, it was rare to meet even a single pedestrian or bicyclist. I'd guess I had any company at all on fewer than 5 trips per month and then it was generally only one person.
While there has been intermittent graffitti, it's not an epedemic. One problem, though: the elevators are taking more of a vandalism hit than we had hoped. They are out of order fairly frequently. --John Williams
photo courtesy of Tod Gass, Missoula Redevelopment Agency