junctionbridge051708-bb

   The Junction Railroad Bridge across the Arkansas River between Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas was reopened as a pedestrian and biking bridge on Saturday, May 17, 2008. Dedication was held at 10:30 a.m. with thousands attending on the bridge. This bridge once belonged to the Missouri Pacific Railroad, then Union Pacific got it when they merged with the MoPac in 1982. UP closed the bridge to rail traffic in 1985, according to the press release. UP ceded the bridge to the city of Little Rock in 1999. Through the inter-local agreement, the bridge was leased for 99 years to the Pulaski County Facilities Board for the purpose of developing the pedestrian/bicycle bridge.
   Construction work for the conversion began in 2007 with total project costs of $5,800,000 from local, state and federal transportation funds. The bridge is believed to be the only 'lift-span" bridge that has been converted to a pedestrian/bicycle bridge in the United States. The lift-span is locked into place in a raised position to allow barge traffic to go under on the Arkansas River. Visitors to the bridge may go the entire length of the bridge by riding elevators up or down from the 360-foot lift span. The overall length of the bridge is 1,800 feet. The original paint is being left on the bridge to signify its age, although some areas have been modernized and painted in a fresh coat of blue paint.
   McClelland Engineers was the project engineering firm and May Construction was the general contractor. Both are headquartered in Little Rock. Eighty percent of the funding for the renovation was provided by grants from the Federal Transportation budget through the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department. The remaining 20 percent match was provided by road and bridge funds of the Cities of Little Rock and North Little Rock as well as Pulaski County.
   The Junction Bridge is a component of the Six Bridges Plan. In 1999, the University of Arkansas at Little Rock Donaghey Project for Urban Studies and Design developed the Six Bridges Framework Plan. The Six Bridges from west to east are: Baring Cross Bridge (currently the mainline bridge used by Union Pacific on its directional-north line into the North Little Rock's UP yareds), Broadway Bridge (US 70B highway bridge), Main Street Bridge (on which the Central Arkansas River Rail's streetcars run on Main Street), Junction Bridge, I-30 Bridge (Interstate 30 starts in North Little Rock and runs to Fort Worth, Texas), and Rock Island Bridge (currently belongs to the Clinton Library people and supposedly will one day become another pedestrian bridge).
   A little more about this historic bridge from the press release and my occasional comments:
   1) Lift span is now raised 38 feet above the fixed bridge span. It had originally been 32 feet at max height above the fixed span. It was raised the additional 6 feet because of alignment purposes. Once the span was lifted, support beams were installed using cranes operating from a barge.
   2) The Junction Bridge was originally constructed in 1884 as a railroad bridge by the Choctaw and Memphis Railroad and operated by the Union Pacific Railroad (?? -I'm not sure about this). Originally constructed to connect the Little Rock and Fort Smith rail line with the Little Rock, Mississippi River and Texas Railway.
   3) Since 1985, the Junction Bridge has not operated in any capacity. (According to John Jones, a USPS special train operated on the bridge sometime in the 1990s as a special move).

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Taken from the Little Rock (south) side.

Looking to the west along the Arkansas River at the Junction Bridge (top), Main Street Bridge, Broadway Bridge and UP's Baring Cross Bridge.

Note the streetcar on the Main Street Bridge.

The Arkansas Queen on the river has dinner cruises.

South end of Junction Bridge.

You can see where the Missouri Pacific tracks were located heading southeast from the bridge.

From the south, Little Rock side.

You can walk up stairs or take the elevator.

Upper span.

Another streetcar on the Main Street Bridge as seen from the Junction Bridge walking path.

Looking north from the stairwell toward North Little Rock.

Looking east from the bridge. You can see the I-30 bridge in the foreground and the Rock Island bridge in the background. The Clinton Presidential Library is to the right.