walkway under Oneil bridge

It use to be a walkway but they took it out to widen the lanes. Even though you entered it by going under the bridge it came up in the middle between the lanes.

There once was a separation between the North/
South lanes that contained the walkway. About twenty years ago they took it out in order to widen the travel lanes.
I know it seems dumb to not have a way to walk from one side to the other. I was hoping when they opened the old railroad bridge to pedestrians they would make some kind of provision, but I guess it is not important to the higher ups. Maybe Obama can provide for some help in that area?

There's a walkway on Stoplight Bridge.

Has anyone ever walked the one that used to be on O'Neal?

quote:

Originally posted by unclegus:
There once was a separation between the North/
South lanes that contained the walkway. About twenty years ago they took it out in order to widen the travel lanes.
I know it seems dumb to not have a way to walk from one side to the other. I was hoping when they opened the old railroad bridge to pedestrians they would make some kind of provision, but I guess it is not important to the higher ups. Maybe Obama can provide for some help in that area?

Why not? He's tossing around trillions like it was halloween candy... access between here and the other side of the river should have been dealt with years ago. so the kids can get to the park if for no other reason.. being able to commute on a bicycle would be great.. or it would just make for a nice walk.. This would make for a much better project than the 32K they want to throw at the fountain in my opinnion

quote:

Originally posted by George Sand:
There's a walkway on Stoplight Bridge.

Has anyone ever walked the one that used to be on O'Neal?

Many, many times, and bicycled it too. We would ride oour bikes from Tuscumbia to Florence. Also we have WALKED home from the Shoals Theater to Tuscumbia on occasion.

quote:

Originally posted by unclegus:
There once was a separation between the North/
South lanes that contained the walkway. About twenty years ago they took it out in order to widen the travel lanes.
I know it seems dumb to not have a way to walk from one side to the other. I was hoping when they opened the old railroad bridge to pedestrians they would make some kind of provision, but I guess it is not important to the higher ups. Maybe Obama can provide for some help in that area?

I believe at one time the group who purchased/runs the railroad bridge wanted to build an observation deck at the end and a connection to Patton Island. But unless some sort of development is ever done on Patton Island, I don't really see the point of that.

Living here in Chattanooga, we have a purely pedestrian/bicycle bridge that crosses the river. It would be nice to see the Shoals have something like that, though connecting an industrial port to a seldom-used access road isn't really ideal.

quote:

Originally posted by George Sand:
There's a walkway on Stoplight Bridge.

Has anyone ever walked the one that used to be on O'Neal?

I've biked across Patton Island Bridge several times. Except for being loud, it is a fun ride. It connects to the TVA trail on the south side which allows a person to ride (or walk) from East Florence all the way to Muscle Shoals on paved trails.

I hope that eventually the Shoals area cities can work on a series of bike paths that connect all the major points. It would be good publicity, and believe it or not, could even bring in tourists.

A friend that lives on Court st was talking about homeless people the other day and I said WHAT homless people he said they hang out downtown ask for change and smoke cigarette butts from the streets and live under Oneal Bridge, I said thats news to me I didn't know we had homeless people like that here.

We don't but build a homeless shelter and you'll get some.

It was removed when the bridge was renovated, circa 1991/1992. There was much written about it in the TD at the time. It seems that one could have been constructed under the bridge, but it would have cost more than taxpayers and the state were willing to pay.

BTW, I do see the rare pedestrian walking the edge of the bridge and understand that some have been ticketed for it.

quote:

Originally posted by raven2nite:
A friend that lives on Court st was talking about homeless people the other day and I said WHAT homless people he said they hang out downtown ask for change and smoke cigarette butts from the streets and live under Oneal Bridge, I said thats news to me I didn't know we had homeless people like that here.

who give a big stinking brown log? being homeless. doesn't make nobody a criminal...... to be continued I'm sure

No, of course we don't have any homeless people here in the utopian little city of Fla-la landorence...or, for that matter, any of the bad things that the entire rest of the world has to endure.

quote:

Living here in Chattanooga, we have a purely pedestrian/bicycle bridge that crosses the river. It would be nice to see the Shoals have something like that, though connecting an industrial port to a seldom-used access road isn't really ideal.

I agree the walking bridge in Chattanooga is wonderful! The old railroad bridge would be a perfect start to a similar bridge right here in Florence. If I remember correctly the bridge in Chattanooga links downtown with park area with a merry go round, walking trails, boat launch, and a "water park" (like the one at the Marriott). We already have those items in place, except the merry go round. I say we push for an extension to the railroad bridge to link both sides of the river!

Chattanooga has some wonderful pedestrian provisions.

quote:

Originally posted by raven2nite:
I didn't know we had homeless people like that here.

Yes, Virginia there is a Santa Claus and we DO have homeless people around here!

Extending the present railway bridge would be a hazard to navigation. The old bridge was able to turn to allow the towboats to pass thru the channel going to and from the lock at Wilson Dam.

Any extension would have to go up above the heighth of the boats.

howard roark, i was just about to say the same thing. i think what we currently have is all we are going to get. there isn't enough of a demand to warrant a modification to the railroad bridge or a new one, and like an earlier post said, you can ride or walk across patton island bridge.

what office would be the one to petition to try and get the walkway under Oneil fixed and operating?

ALDOT

quote:

Originally posted by unclegus:
ALDOT

I tried to call the district 2 office that is us to offer my suggestion of using some stimulus money to address this... nobody answered the phone.. which doesn't surprise me.. probably taking the day off.. paid of course

quote:

Originally posted by Howard Roark:
Extending the present railway bridge would be a hazard to navigation. The old bridge was able to turn to allow the towboats to pass thru the channel going to and from the lock at Wilson Dam.

Any extension would have to go up above the heighth of the boats.

True Howard.

And not to mention the paddlewheelers that visit now and then.

BUT...thinking about it, a scaled down version of the original turnstile-type bridge or a drawbridge (big enough for pedestrians/bikes) would be pretty cool.

Yeah...lots of maintainece/money involved with that idea.

There was a lift bridge, before the turning one. Shows how old I am.

There was never a turning bridge, it was a lift bridge, where the whole section across the canal was raised. Wilson dam has pedestrian access.

How many people would be willing to sign an online petition from petitions.com to get them to look at doing this?

I stand semi-corrected. The last movable bridge span did lift. Before that, there was a pier (since removed) on which a turning bridge span revolved.

Yes...I said turn-stile type but don't know what I was thinking as I believe that was before my time...

Although I did find out dear old lift bridge which now resides (and operates) in Hannibal, MO

Old LIFT Bridge

Here is the petition.. please sign it.. perhaps the times daily can run a short article.

Link