WYOMING, MI – Pedestrians, runners and cyclists now have a way to safely cross one of the busiest streets in the Grand Rapids area, without having to stop for traffic.
A new pedestrian bridge is finally open for use over 28th Street on Hook Avenue SW, connecting to 4.6 miles of new trails recently built by the city of Wyoming.
The city is hosting a “Run, Walk, Roll” event at 9 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 27, at 1320 28th St. SW, where residents can check out the newly opened pedestrian bridge and trails.
Construction of the $7.4 million pedestrian bridge was fully funded by state and federal grants.
The bridge is the only elevated pedestrian crossing in Wyoming, connecting the city’s northern and southern portions over the busy roadway. The 12-foot wide ADA accessible bridge can accommodate two-way pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
Nicole Hofert, the city’s director of community and economic development, said Wyoming residents have long been asking for the city to develop a safer way to cross 28th Street.
More than 30,000 vehicles travel daily down 28th Street, which accounts for more than 10% of the traffic crashes in Wyoming, according to the city. In the last decade, there have been more than 2,300 crashes between Burlingame and U.S. 131, including five fatal crashes.
The construction of the pedestrian bridge is part of Wyoming’s broader City Center project, an initiative to develop a downtown area off of 28th Street between Burlingame and Clyde Park avenues.
The state invested $20 million in the effort, which is estimated to cost around $36.8 million and includes the construction of the new pedestrian bridge, trails and a public plaza being planned as part of a private development that will include commercial and residential spaces.
The developer, Magnus Capital Partners, is expected to begin construction this fall on the vacant land next to the pedestrian bridge, Hofert said. The six-story building will include 170 new housing units, a public plaza space, and commercial tenants on the first floor.
Hofert said the City Center project has been a catalyst for the revitalization of the 28th Street corridor.
“We’re seeing that today – we have a new Popeye’s that just opened up, we’ve got some other businesses that are coming to the corridor, and so we’re really starting to see that reinvestment, and I think a lot of that is because of the infrastructure and the investments that the city is making in this area,” she told MLive/The Grand Rapids Press.
Wyoming’s ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new pedestrian bridge is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Saturday, followed by food trucks and live music until noon. The event is free and open to the public.