HELENA — The Helena Citizens’ Council (HCC) has recently made a proposal to construct a pedestrian and bike bridge over Henderson Street on the Centennial Trail.
Currently, the train bridge before the crossing makes this spot potentially dangerous to pedestrians.
“And it dips down on each side. And it's, the visibility from cars traveling southbound is very limited visibility. And it's just a very dangerous crossing, as it stands right now,” says HCC District 3 representative, Lowell Chandler.
Chandler says the pedestrian bridge would not only protect folks but also encourage people to get out.
“It increases the ability for Helena residents to get out and walk, run, bike. And that leads to overall public health improvements when the community is more active,” says Chandler.
The bridge would be named the Eric Feaver Memorial Bridge after the former city commissioner Eric Feaver. Feaver worked with the Non-motorized Transit Advisory Council to encourage non-motorized initiatives in the city
“One of his big pushes, while he was on the Non-motorized Transit Council alongside me, was to get this bridge done. It's been a decades-long project and it’s been; many many different commissioners have pushed it. And it just needs to get done. It's an important project for the community,” says Chandler.
The HCC is made up of representatives from throughout the city to make recommendations to the city commission and the mayor. This bridge has been brought up multiple times throughout the years. Chandler hopes this time will be different because of possible access to ARPA funds, the Inflation Reduction Act, and state grants.
