$23 million life-saving bridge opens in San Antonio, Texas

From the street level, it looks like any other ordinary overpass - but the newly opened $23 million bridge serves a much greater purpose. But you won't find any pavement or concrete on top, instead it's a whole different world intended to help protect wildlife.

The structure, which was designed for the safe passage of wildlife and people, is built across the busy traffic of Wurzbach Parkway and unifies the 330-acre park in north-central San Antonio.

AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell went to San Antonio, Texas, to take a look at how the innovative bridge actually saves lives -- and adds other benefits for animals and people alike.

"I think it's awfully important in an urban society to keep the connection with nature," former San Antonio mayor Phil Hardberger told Wadell.

However, when 330 acres of an old dairy farm in San Antonio, Texas, was saved and transformed into the Phil Hardberger Park a decade ago, a parkway cut right through the middle of the property.

"We had some animals actually killed on the way across," Hardberger said.

The city's former mayor pushed for a solution to keep wildlife and drivers safe. Roughly $23 million later, the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge and pedestrian skywalk are finally complete.

Pedestrians and animals traversing the land bridge have the experience of climbing a peaceful hill, completely unaware of the major roadway below.

"Right below where you're standing is six lanes of traffic. But you hardly hear it," Hardberger said.

Soil and plants are all very heavy, so Bill Wadell said contractors used a special material to help lighten the load for this 150-foot wide land bridge.

"In areas off the edge of the bridge, there's a certain footage of geofoam, which is substantially lighter, which helps take that weight off of the bridge," Pawglass Civil Construction Project Manager Robbie Keithley said.

In Utah, a wildlife overpass spanning Interstate 80 has been called a success. In Southern California, there's a push to build a span over 10 lanes of the 101 freeway to help mountain lions and other animals cross the massive highway.

People at the park in San Antonio say it's a good idea with more than a million drivers reporting crashes involving deer and other wildlife across the country every year.

"The deer aren't running across the parkway anymore getting hit, so there's a safety issue there. But it's just great that they have a habitat now, twice as big as they had before," San Antonio, Texas, resident Bill Kanyusik said.

A few animals have already been spotted on camera crossing the new land bridge.

"We've seen deer, a coyote, a bobcat and I think a skunk that we've seen walking across. It's a nice peaceful place and you really kind of forget that there's a freeway down there somewhere," Hardberger said.

There's a quarter-million-gallon rainwater capture system as well, which can be used for irrigation around the bridge.

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As the trees and grass grow, more wildlife is expected to check out the land bridge and start exploring the other side of the park.

Visitors can also immerse themselves in nature by walking among the treetops on an elevated 1,000-foot-long Skywalk that gradually climbs 18-feet off the ground, offering spectacular views of the tree canopy and connecting pedestrians to the top of the recently completed Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge.

The first walkway of its kind built in San Antonio is six-feet wide, and the entire length is ADA-accessible. A seating area offers a shady spot for relaxation and wildlife viewing.

"The Skywalk is one of the most unique features of the Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge. I like to describe it as zip-line powered by your feet," Hardberger said. "Visitors will get a squirrel's-eye view of the trees and ground below, offering a new perspective of the park and its animal inhabitants."

The Skywalk features weathered steel finishing to match the features of the land bridge and other elements in the park.

"We're excited to open the Skywalk which offers an accessible, unique vantage point of the park for all visitors to enjoy," said Homer Garcia III, director of Parks and Recreation.

Normal high temperatures in San Antonio sit right around 80 F during the middle of April, and given that the average high climbs to 90 degrees by late May, and peaks at a sultry 97 in the middle of August, this month may just be the perfect time to visit the new bridge.

Reporting by AccuWeather National Reporter Bill Wadell.

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