For Hazel Patton, a longtime advocate of the restoration and repurposing of the Union Street Railroad Bridge, the project’s grand unveiling next month will only be the first step toward a much greater vision.
“Our three-park system, when completed, will be larger than New York’s Central Park. This will also offer many diverse opportunities for recreation and enjoyment,” said Patton, a member of Friends of Two Bridges, a group that advocated for the Union Street Bridge Project and a second bridge spanning the Willamette over Minto Island.
The Union Street Railroad Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge is scheduled to open to the public at 10 a.m., Saturday, April 18. The new bicycle and pedestrian bridge will connect West Salem’s Wallace Marine park to Riverfront Park on the east side of the Willamette River.
A dedication, a formal ribbon cutting, and a public parade across the bridge will be part of the ceremony. Refreshments and family-friendly activities will follow, including free admission to A.C. Gilbert’s Discovery Village.
The new bridge will provide a half-mile link in the bicycle and pedestrian circulation systems around Salem.
“Long term payoff will be enjoying the creative uses of our park and pathways system to encourage healthy activities, promote tourism, and increase our connections across the river and slough,” Patton said.
The Union Street Railroad Bridge was built across the Willamette River in 1912-13 by Southern Pacific Railway to connect Salem to the West Willamette Valley. The bridge was acquired by Union Pacific Railroad in 1996 and was purchased by the City of Salem for one dollar in 2004. It was put on the National Register of Historic Places in January of 2006. In April of 2008, Carter & Company, Inc., a Salem contractor, began reconstructing the historic landmark.
Phase two of construction includes lead-based paint abatement and repair of the upper portion of the bridge. The work is slated for completion in 2010 due to a generous contribution from ODOT’s Transportation Enhancement Program. The Oregon Transportation Commission recently approved $3.5 million of the federal economic stimulus funding – the City of Salem’s first stimulus funds – for the bridge completion.
