Snowden pedestrian bridge hoisted in place
It was a historic day for Southaven, Snowden Grove and the Silo Square community as the bridge span on the Snowden pedestrian bridge was lifted in place.
Contractors hosted the steel bridge span high above the intersection of Getwell and May Boulevard around 11 a.m. and bolted to the elevator towers as dignitaries from Southaven, DeSoto County, and state officials looked on.
“It was exciting to watch,” said Lexie Hill, developer of Silo Square.
The $1.9 million bridge was designed by UrbanArch Associates, and when completed will link the city’s walking trails at Central Park and Snowden Grove Park, as well as help with traffic and safety flow.
Hill said adding the bridge will make Southaven a more walkable community and provide a nice link to the amenities at Silo Square. The $225 million, 288-acre commercial, retail and entertainment area at Silo Square will give Southaven its own unique town square setting that it hasn’t had before, and serve as a destination for tourists as well as locals.
“It will allow concert attendees, baseball teams, and visitors to walk from Snowden Grove right to Silo Square to eat and shop, and even stay once the hotels are here,” Hill said. “You will be able to come here and never have to leave for entertainment.”
The bridge design is similar to ones at Vanderbilt University, the University of Missouri, and one in Foley, Alabama, and city officials envision the bridge will be an iconic feature and a marketing tool to increase tourism.
“We just drove down the street for the first time to see it and it is definitely beautiful,” Hill said. “And for any of our visitors or if you’ve never been to Southaven before, it is a nice warm welcome. It is definitely exciting.”
Hill praised Southaven Mayor Darren Musselwhite for embracing the pedestrian bridge idea and making it happen.
“He saw the value of connecting the two trails and got the plans rolling pretty quick,” Hill said. “They started construction in February and now here we are. It has been an exciting prospect and I’m glad we will soon see it fully operational.”
Musselwhite said the idea for the pedestrian bridge started with a conversation he had with Whitney Choat-Cook, the city’s planning and development director, about the need for a traffic signal on Getwell at May Boulevard.
That discussion led to parallel talks about how to better market the city through beautification projects, and how the city had two large pedestrian projects in the works on both sides of Getwell Road.
“Then, Whitney said, ‘wouldn’t it be awesome to have a bridge here?’” Musselwhite said. “Then I said, ‘yes, let’s make it happen!’ With the support of our Board of Aldermen and many, many discussion with UrbanArch & Associates, we did make it happen.”
Southaven Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Debbie King, who has lived in the Snowden Grove area for 17 years, said the new pedestrian bridge is a key component to the trajectory that the city is on.
“As the mayor has said, it’s iconic,” King said. “In regards to the quality of life in our city, it is a huge asset to healthy living, allowing our community to be safe by connecting our newest pedestrian projects, as we enjoy all aspects of recreation and entertainment.”
The bridge is expected to be completed in mid-October.