This year National Walk to Work Day fell on April 4th! In honor of promoting more sustainable options, communities are taking a more holistic approach to ensuring safe pedestrian and bicycle travel, and are building pedestrian bridges! Recently, we have overseen construction on several pedestrian bridge projects that help better connect our communities.
To help connect more people to the rail trails that run through Brookline, New Hampshire, Hoyle Tanner partnered with the Town to build two new pedestrian bridges and expanded sidewalk access to both locations. The South Main Street Pedestrian Bridge project included about 1,700 feet of sidewalk that tied into existing sidewalk on Main Street. A crosswalk with flashing beacons was also included at the end of
the sidewalk coming off the bridge, to bridge the gap between the two segments of the rail trail that cross South Main Street.
In addition to connecting the rail trails, Hoyle Tanner was the Resident Engineer on site during the construction of the Mason Road Pedestrian Bridge located right near Potanipo Pond. This location sees a lot of locals come and go throughout the summer. A crosswalk was included at the end of the bridge to allow for safe crossing to and from the pond area, and was open to the public in December 2023.
The Nashua High School South Pedestrian Bridge connects the high school to Mine Falls Park, but closed for safety reasons back in 2022. The deteriorated bridge was replaced with a temporary pedestrian bridge that had been previously used on a project in Peterborough until this past fall when it was replaced with a new steel truss. This area is heavily trafficked with park-goers and students. The school even utilizes these trails and the bridge for cross country meets in the fall. This project also involved repaving a portion of the trail leading from the bridge to integrate the new bridge with the existing trails. Hoyle Tanner was involved in the design of the bridge and was the Resident Engineer on site during the construction. The permanent replacement bridge was constructed and installed, and opened to the public in December 2024.
With many communities implementing pedestrian bridges into roadway geometry, walking to work can be as simple as strapping on your shoes and heading out the door. By walking to work for this nationally recognized day, you will help reduce carbon emissions, get fit, and avoid the traffic jams. Reach out to me if you have any questions about pedestrian bridge upgrades, or need one in your community!
