New options for pedestrian bridge project

The scope of the pedestrian bridge project on Hollywood Boulevard could be expanding.

The project is a joint venture to create a walking path connecting Homewood and Mountain Brook. The bridge, as initially planned, would travel along the north side of the Hollywood Boulevard bridge across U.S. 280 and connect a trail system that circles the Birmingham Zoo.

During the Mountain Brook City Council’s regular pre-meeting in March, Council member Jesse Vogtle said some factors uncovered during the project’s development require more consideration. Namely, expenses for both communities have increased beyond what was allocated in their 2014 budgets.

In addition, the two communities are concerned about congestion on the bridge following the Alabama Department of Transportation’s (ALDOT’s) U.S. 280 Intersection Improvement Project.

“Changes to Highway 280 have created a real traffic situation on the Hollywood Boulevard overpass,” Vogtle said. “The impacted cities are starting to scratch their heads and consider pursuing this in a much bigger way.”

Vogtle said the use of Hollywood Boulevard as a “Michigan left” — a U-turn site for drivers changing directions or crossing U.S. 280 — has crowded the intersection and bridge. Both communities consider the current bridge unsafe for pedestrians, and the cities are now jointly looking into a simultaneous solution for both issues.

That could mean a bigger bridge.

For the time being, the development of the project has been put on hold while the cities involved arrange a collaborative discussion. Vogtle said Homewood Mayor Scott McBrayer and Mountain Brook Mayor Terry Oden would assemble a meeting among project stakeholders in the coming weeks.

The current Hollywood Bridge is approximately 50 years old, Vogtle said, and the communities investing in the project are concerned that ALDOT could schedule construction on the existing structure in the near future. This could limit the lifespan of the pedestrian bridge project as it’s currently proposed.

Vogtle said he expects the bridge’s replacement or widening to come up in the joint meeting, which could lead to a request for increased funding for the project.

Mayor Scott McBrayer could not be reached for comment, nor could Rep. Paul DeMarco, who initially secured federal funding for the pedestrian bridge.