Quite a crowd of folks gathered Saturday night to watch the Polly Ann Trail pedestrian bridge finally be erected over M-24 in downtown Oxford.
‘I’ve lived here 30 years and this is about the most exciting thing I’ve seen happen,? said Bob Brooks, of Oxford. ‘I look forward to using it.?
Cut into four sections, each transported by its own truck, the bridge arrived in town Friday from Fort Payne, Alabama and sat in the Meijer parking lot until the next day when the quarters were bolted together to form two halves.
With the aid of a crane, workers began setting the two halves of the 100-foot-long black steel bridge onto the northbound lanes of M-24 around 9:30 p.m.
Once they were lined up and bolted together, the crane lifted the entire 37,196-pound bridge in the air shortly after 1:30 a.m. and set it in place between the giant concrete ramps previously constructed on the east and west sides of M-24.
Some observers brought lawn chairs and blankets to watch the spectacle. Others set up a tent where adult beverages and barbecue ribs were served. Many took photos or videotaped the event for posterity.
‘I just really wanted to see history go up,? said 10-year-old Tony Bergamo, of Oxford, who was there with his grandmother.
Witnessing Oxford history in the making was a reason cited by many who braved the cold, damp night air to watch workers set the massive bridge in place between Church and Center streets.
Oxford resident Laurie Allen said her daughter Brooklyn wasn’t too enthusiastic about the whole thing, but she told her, ‘Someday you can bring your grandkids here and you can say, ‘I watched the bridge being built.??
A majority of the crowd were trail users and supporters of the bridge project, which cost in excess of $1 million and was paid for using a mix of federal ies and private donations.
‘We’ve been waiting for this for a long time,? said Ruth Woody, of Oxford, who lives right on the trail on Crestmoor. She said she bikes and walks the trail ‘three or four times a week during the summer.?
‘I think it’s going to be a great asset for the community,? said Dave Peacy, of Oxford, an avid biker who enjoys riding from his home on Stanton Road to the other side of the Koenig gravel pit and back at least once a week. ‘We’re excited to see (the bridge) go up.?
‘I think the bridge will make it easier to use the whole trail,? noted Peacy’s wife, Sharon.
Oxford resident Jake Callender, who brought his 7-year-old son Jacob to see the bridge go up, said he thinks the crossway is ‘a good idea? because ‘we have kids getting hit crossing the street.?
‘We never went this way (because of traffic on M-24),? he said. ‘I’ve already told my kids as soon as it’s open, we’re going to ride the bikes across.?
When asked what he thought of the bridge, young Jacob replied, ‘It’s cool.?
Alan Zeliasko, an Oxford resident and trail user, believes the bridge will go a long way toward ‘opening up the community? by connecting the east and west sides of town, divided by M-24. ‘It’s probably going to be a good thing in the long run,? he said.
Finally, seeing the bridge quelled some lingering concerns over what the structure was actually going to look like, the reality versus the drawings.
‘It’s better looking than I thought it was going to be,? said Laurie Allen. ‘I was worried. I’ve seen some ugly bridges, but I think it looks good.?
‘I was curious to see what it looked like,? said Allen’s husband, Jeff. ‘It’s pretty stealthy being all black. I guess I’m okay with it.?
But not everyone there was a proponent of the bridge, which was pre-fabricated in Fort Payne, Alabama by a company called Steadfast Bridges.
‘I grew up here and I don’t see a need to spend that kind of money,? said longtime Oxford resident Scott Sutphin. ‘There are better things that we could have spent that kind of money on.?
Sutphin said curiosity is what drew him to watch the bridge’s placement. He admitted he’ll ‘probably go over it once or twice and that will probably be it.?
‘My wife swears she’ll never use it,? he said. ‘I tried to drag her up here but she said, ‘I will not go see that bridge.??
Although the bridge is in place, it’s not ready for the public to cross. The concrete deck (or floor) must still be poured and given about a week to cure.
Plans are to do the concrete work between 9 p.m. Friday, Oct. 6 and 9 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 7. Both northbound and southbound M-24 will be closed during those times.