Hwy. 59 in Foley will close during off-peak hours Aug. 8-9

Hwy. 59 in Foley will close during off-peak hours Aug. 8-9
Pedestrian bridge will be hoisted between towers north of Hwy. 98

A new Foley landmark is scheduled to be installed on the night of Aug. 8, when a pedestrian bridge will be hoisted into place between two towers located on Hwy. 59 just north of the intersection with U.S. 98. City officials say that on Aug. 8, Hwy. 59 is expected to be closed from roughly 8:00 p.m. until 6:00 a.m. the following morning to allow a crane to lift the bridge into place, and again on Aug. 9 during the same hours for the pouring of lightweight concrete on the bridge deck.
The bridge will allow safe crossing for pedestrians over the busy highway. Stairs and elevators on each side provide access to the bridge. The floor of the bridge will be 18 feet above Hwy. 59. The bridge was designed to match other downtown landmarks, including Centennial Plaza, built in Heritage Park to commemorate the city’s 100th birthday, and the columns located along the Wilbourne Antique Rose Trail. The bridge was designed by Sted McCullough of McCullough Architecture.
“I am very excited to see this project moving to completion,” said Foley Mayor John Koniar. “It will be a big step forward for our downtown revitalization efforts and a have a positive impact on pedestrian safety. A great addition to our community.”
A map showing the detour route will be available several days before the highway closure. It will be available on the city website at cityoffoley.org, and also at Foley’s city hall, the Welcome Center and the library.
The bridge is a component of Foley’s TRIP (Transportation Regional Infrastructure Pedestrian System) plan, developed with citizen input to make Foley a more pedestrian-friendly city. The bridge is one of three projects funded by a federal TIGER (Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery) Grant, which the city received in 2013. Foley was awarded $4.7 million, which required a 25 percent match, bringing the project total to $6.3 million.
Other components in this project include almost 30 miles of new sidewalks and walking paths. An important section of pedestrian path currently under construction is located along the north side of U.S. 98, running from Juniper Street to Hickory Street. A path located along the east side of Hwy. 59 south of U.S. 98 is also under construction.
Additional components of the plan include pedestrian cross walks and signals at major intersections. These will be installed along Hwy. 59 at intersections with Azalea Avenue, Michigan Avenue and County Road 20.