Anna Louise Garms Adair was the first woman (girl, actually she was only 12) to drive across the Broadway Bridge–why? Because her father and his construction company built it and when it was done he bought a brand new Ford for his Anna to drive across the bridge.

Now that bridge will be torn down.  My friend’s daughter recently turned 18. Her name is Anna also–she was named after her great grandmother, and to keep the heritage going, she would very much like to be the last, in that line, to drive across the bridge.

KARK’s Melissa Harris bought this to the public’s attention back in Sept. 2013, when it was learned that the bridge was to come down.   The bridge is still there–but there is also a backhoe there also.

A facebook site had been started asking for supporters to rally around Anna’s desire to drive across the bridge.  I am asking for it to become a reality before we wake up one morning to find the bridge demolished.  Please join me in this–talk to your friends and neighbors and lets get enough support to make this happen.

Here is some information below, from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department about the Broadway Bridge and the plan to replace it. More information can be found at http://www.arkansashighways.com/broadwaybridge.aspx.

History: 
The Broadway Bridge started construction in 1921 and was opened on March 14, 1923. The structure is a five–span open spandrel arch concrete bridge having a length of 2,786 feet, a deck width of 40 feet and a 24.3 foot vertical clearance. Two spans were replaced with a single steel through arch span in 1974 to provide a navigation channel for the McClellan-Kerr Navigation System on the Arkansas River. The Broadway Bridge has an estimated average daily traffic (ADT) volume of 24,000 vehicles.

Project Scope: 
The Department is proposing to replace the Broadway Bridge and its connection ramps on U.S. Highway 70 over the Arkansas River connecting Little Rock and North Little Rock. The following bridge structure types were evaluated: (1) Plate Girder Design, (2) Single Tied Arch, (3) Twin Tied Arch, and (4) a Cable Stay Design. The selected design will be a Twin Basket Handle Network Tied Arch.

The factors in the evaluation in order of magnitude are: cost, feasibility, constructability, geotechnical, accelerated construction methods, stakeholder input, aesthetic value, environment and maintenance. The bridge will be a four-lane arterial on existing alignment. The proposed typical section of the bridge is four 11-foot travel lanes with 4-foot shoulders and a 16-foot shared use path on the eastern side of the bridge.

Funding:
Construction is scheduled to begin in late 2013 or early 2014 and will be expedited to reduce the amount of time the bridge will be out of service. The total cost for the bridge includes removal and demolition of the current bridge and construction of the new bridge along with its additional improvements in the vicinity. The Department made an initial commitment of $45 million for the bridge replacement, but new estimates, as a result of preliminary engineering studies, have increased the amount to $58 million. Pulaski County has committed an additional $20 million to the project.