Bridge building

Within two months, visitors to Fairview Park will be able to cross Placentia Avenue without waiting for a traffic light.

That will be made possible by two sections of a pedestrian bridge that now sit in the park awaiting installation. The sections were built by an Alabama-based company and arrived last week on trucks. They’ll be installed to make one whole bridge in late February or early March, once the concrete supports for the bridge ends are completed.

“I saw it come in on the trucks the other day and got all fired up,” said city parks commissioner Robert Graham. “I think it’s going to be really a statement for the city and the park.”

The 155-foot bridge is made of weathering steel, which is exposed metal that’s allowed to rust on the surface without affecting the integrity of the structure. That gives it a look like wood, said city parks program manager Bart Mejia.

“That is one of the features that we wanted to achieve was that rustic look so that it blends in with the park,” he said.

Workers are now creating the concrete supports where the bridge will be placed, 500 feet north of the main entrance to Fairview Park. Portions of the park lie on both sides of Placentia Avenue, so crossing the road now means waiting for the traffic light at the park entrance or at Estancia High School.

The finished bridge will be 12 feet wide with ramps at either end, suitable for pedestrians, bicycles, and light-duty maintenance or emergency vehicles.

The nearly $579,000 cost of the bridge was paid for by state grants and city funds.

Graham expects the bridge to encourage more people to use Fairview Park, which could lead to further improvements such as trails and parking.

“I think the biggest thing is to get more people to enjoy the park by walking into it,” Graham said.

“The more we can make people aware of the park, the more people are going to demand facilities up there for themselves.”

20060111iswiyrncDOUGLAS ZIMMERMAN / DAILY PILOT(LA)DIRT UNDER THE BRIDGE: A cyclist passes the walkway that will soon span Placentia Avenue near Fairview Park.