Sidewalks on the way to 'Bridge to Nowhere' in Prattville
PRATTVILLE — The city's "Bridge to Nowhere" is going to need a new name.
In May of 2021 city crews built an 80-foot-long pedestrian bridge over Pine Creek as it crossed under East Main Street. The creek ran under the street through a concrete culvert. The bridge did not have sidewalks leading to it, hence the nickname.
Sidewalks are on the way.
The Prattville City Council has approved a $608,030.25 project to build sidewalks from Shady Oak Lane to Silver Hills Drive. It's an Alabama Department of Transportation grant, with the city kicking in $121,606.05, or 20%, in matching funds.
Prattville:Sidewalk planned to cross Prattville's pedestrian 'Bridge to Nowhere'
East Main Street, which becomes Cobbs Ford Road and is Prattville's main drag, sees an average daily traffic count of 22,000. It goes from downtown through residential areas and the heart of Prattville's retail district and gives access to Interstate 65.
In the section where the bridge and the sidewalks will be located, pedestrians walk along the busy street, but more often on the grassy area on the other side of the guardrails.
"There is no way I would walk along that road, not there, anyway," said Terry Little, who drives East Main for his daily commute to his job in downtown Montgomery. "But I guess if walking is the only way you have to get around, you do what you have to do. I've also seen folks riding bikes in that area, on the street, which is very dangerous.
"I'm glad they are finally putting in a sidewalk."
From 2021:Pedestrian bridge being built across creek on Prattville's East Main Street
That pedestrian traffic is why the bridge was put in, said Mayor Bill Gillespie Jr. People crossed the creek by negotiating the narrow lip at the top of the culvert. It's about a 30-foot drop into the water.
"People were walking there already, so putting in the bridge was a way to improve safety," he said. "Some people made comments about why the bridge was there. But now with this sidewalk project, safety is going to be improved."
There are traffic signals at the intersections of East Main and Silver Hills and Shady Oak. Silver Hills has a crosswalk, and a crosswalk will go in at Shady Oak as well.
Work should begin in a month or so and the project should take about 90 days. To lessen traffic headaches, work in the morning will not begin until after 8 a.m. to avoid the heart of the morning rush, said Robby Anderson, city engineer.
Contact Montgomery Advertiser reporter Marty Roney at mroney@gannett.com.
This article originally appeared on Montgomery Advertiser: Sidewalks coming to Prattville Alabama's 'Bridge to Nowhere'
