Could pedestrian bridge over Hwy. 168 be new landmark for Clovis? That’s the idea so far
The city of Clovis is looking to get a two-fer out of the Enterprise Canal Bridge, a multi-year, multi-million dollar project near Highway 168 and Temperance Avenue.
For one, the bridge is a key component in connecting the city’s existing network of bike and walking trails. It will span the highway, offering access to Clovis Community Medical Center and the city’s Research and Technology park, while also serving as a critical link in expanding the trail southward.
And while the primary focus is on function, the city also hopes to create for itself a signature structure, something to be recognized regionally, even statewide, says Jose Sandoval, a project engineer with the city.
“We want it to be a landmark for the city.”
What kind of bridge will be built?
To that end, the city held a community meeting/workshop last week to get input on the design of the bridge.
Residents got a look at three options being considered.
Option one is a concrete box girder; what most people would associate with a typical bridge.
Option two is a tied-arch bridge, which, as the name implies, uses an arch structure for support. An example of this is the University Avenue Pedestrian Overcrossing on Interstate 80 in Berkeley.
Option 3 is a cable-stayed bridge, which uses pylons and wire cables as supports. It’s similar to a suspension bridge in look, but differs in design and construction. Cable-stayed bridges can be done in a series of design patterns.
Nicholas D. Paladino attended the community workshop as a representative of the Fresno Cycling Club. He’s a road bike guy, but understands the need and appeal of bike trails. His main concern for the bridge is that it be bicycle friendly — 12 feet minimum in paved width, without 90-degree or 180-degree turns and with a gentle gradient slope.
But the general consensus among people at the meeting, he says, was that they wanted something more than just a simple, ordinary bridge. They wanted an iconic feature for the city: “Almost a tourist attraction,” he says.
Of course, there’s a price attached, and according to information shared at the meeting, it could be upward of $30 million, Paladino says.
That money has not yet been secured, but the city is actively looking for funding sources.
Fresno County Supervisor Nathan Magsig says the bridge is just another example of the way the city of Clovis thinks about its future growth.
“We were always very interested in creating walk-able communities,” Magsig says, pointing to the design of the Loma Vista community, which was originally approved when he was on the Clovis City Council.
Currently, people have to navigate through Temperance Avenue — and busy roads and multiple freeway on- and off-ramps — to access Clovis Community Medical Center and other businesses and services in the area.
It’s not safe or convenient for those looking to walk, bike or use other forms of transportation.
While there have been zero bicycle fatalities in Clovis since 2020, six pedestrians died in collisions in those years, according to the Clovis Police Department.
There have been more than 100 collisions in total in that time in the city.
Magsig wants to see if the state or federal government could step in to help fill of the costs, based on the fact it will support safe access to so-called active transportation.
Projected timeline is 2025 and beyond
Of course, we won’t be seeing the bridge for years.
The project is early in the design phase. Any actual design elements are still to come and the city will host another community workshop in April or May.
Construction could begin in 2025 and take a year or two, Sandoval says.
Paladino is somewhat cynical about the timeline, but says people should be patient.
“You have to have the vision and start working toward it,” he says.
He remembers people laughing when Clovis proposed the idea of the Old Town Trail, because “who would want to use a bike trail?” he says.
It has since become widely used.
“The people who were laughing were proven wrong.”
