Stairs on both sides include a bike runnel allowing bikes to be wheeled up/down staircases
Salt Lake City, Utah - The Utah Transit Authority (UTA), in partnership with Provo City, the Utah Department of Transportation (UDOT), and Mountainland Association of Governments (MAG), will officially open the new Provo pedestrian bridge at 11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 14, 2023.
UTA’s newest overhead pedestrian bridge, spanning two FrontRunner tracks and two Union Pacific Railroad (UPRR) lines, is located at the Provo Central Station, 610 S. Freedom Blvd. in Provo, Utah. The 145-foot-long structure offers a more efficient and safer alternative for people to access the Provo station by providing a robust regional transportation network of walkways and bike facilities designed to draw commuters and other users away from single occupant vehicles.
By taking more cars off the road, the Provo pedestrian bridge, built by Granite Construction at a cost of approximately $7 million, will help improve air quality in Utah Valley while safely connecting the redeveloping south side of downtown Provo to the Wasatch Front regional transportation network. Several multi-family housing developments have also been built (and continue to be built) in the area adjacent to the Provo Intermodal Center.
“Transit is all about safe, accessible community connection,” said Jay Fox, UTA Executive Director. “We proudly join with our partners Provo City, the Mountainland Association of Governments, UDOT, Union Pacific Railroad, and the Federal Transit Administration to celebrate this new bridge which connects transit customers, pedestrians, cyclists, families, and visitors to the beauty of nature and attractions this city offers. Generational infrastructure investments like this sustain our region’s healthy growth and quality of life.”
Because the area of 600 South and 100 West in Provo is often blocked by freight trains, making pedestrian passage challenging and at times dangerous, this new crossing addresses major safety and convenience concerns.
“The opening of UTA’s overhead pedestrian bridge is a testament to government problem-solving,” said Provo Mayor Michelle Kaufusi. “It’s a symbol of our shared commitment to building a city that prioritizes the well-being of its residents. It's truly a stride towards a safer, more interconnected urban experience in Provo.”
Known as a “Box Truss” design, the bridge was prefabricated in Greeley, Colorado, and trucked to Provo in three sections, which were then put together on-site. While standard-sized elevators service both sides of the bridge, the stairs on each side include a “bike runnel” that allows bicycles to be easily wheeled up and down staircases. Both the deck and stairs are equipped with a snow-melt system for use during icy winter months.
In addition to being 145 feet in length, the Provo pedestrian bridge is 25 feet high, has a 12-foot-wide walkway and weighs more than 503,000 pounds. Both bridge towers are supported on a series of 12-inch-diameter pipes driven 130 feet into the ground, then filled with steel rebar and concrete. The bridge was also designed to accept additional bridge girders for a similar structure, which could be built in the future, spanning 600 South.
Jeff Acerson, UTA Board of Trustees; Cindy Terwilliger, FTA; Kay Christofferson, Utah House of Representatives; Michelle Kaufusi, Mayor Provo City; Nathan Anderson, Union Pacific Representative; and Michelle Carroll, MAG Executive Director are among those attending the pedestrian bridge opening ten months after construction began in February, 2023. Thirty-five percent (35%) of the funding for this project came from the federal government’s Tiger Grant Program. UTA, UDOT, and MAG provided the remaining funds for development and construction.
