[UPDATE: The ribbon-cutting has been moved to the west end of the bridge on Dyer Street.] Attention pedestrians: The long-awaited Providence River Pedestrian Bridge will officially open this Friday morning. My source on this is Tim Empkie, the unofficial citizen site monitor, who posted the update on ‘weekly progress report #172’!
Months ago Tim befriended the construction crew, who must have seen some public relations benefit to his photo updates and perhaps enjoyed the attention during the winter. And he’s obviously a good guy. Tim has been regularly documenting the progress even in the coldest weather, compiling an enormous photo archive (and even some aerial footage courtesy of a drone photographer friend) which you can check out here.
Lest people forget, a determined group of advocates (including Tim) have made sure that the powers-that-be kept this project on the front burner. Building Bridges is “a group of concerned citizen volunteers dedicated to activating the space designated to become Providence’s premiere riverfront park and its planned pedestrian bridge, which will unite the east and west sides of the Providence River.” (That “designated” is really more like a “mandated” as per the Feds in their sale of this land to the state. The I-195 Redevelopment Commission required, and still requires, constant reminding of this. The Building Bridges people has monitored them relentlessly and we all owe them a debt of gratitude.)
The Building Bridges announcement of Friday’s event indicates that this will take place on the South Water Street side.
It has been a very long time in coming, but our Pedestrian Bridge is here! The state has announced the ribbon cutting on Friday, August 9th, at 10:30AM. Let’s join the crowd at the east end of the bridge on South Water Street.
Don’t forget: there are chessboards.
Formal ribbon cutting, 10:30am, Friday, August 9, Dyer Street (directions)
*************************
The bridge was sort of open this spring when I took a few pix.
This guy had the right idea.
Tim recently took the picture below of what appears to be an art installation. (And don’t get me wrong . . . I think I love it.)
In ancient times,
Hundreds of years before the dawn of history
Lived a strange race of people, the DruidsNo one knows who they were or what they were doing
But their legacy remains
Hewn into the living rock, of Stonehenge!
I’m so excited about this beautiful bridge. We have been watching it through each stage and it’s SO impressive. It looks and feels like you’re on the bow of a boat…