My new favorite bridge: with an enclosed walkway

I have arrived in Minneapolis and am busy documenting transit and bike facility improvements. Look for this site to be very active over the next few weeks. Today I discovered my new favorite bridge: the Washington Ave Bridge linking the University of Minnesota campus on either side of the river. This is a two-level bridge featuring an enclosed walkway in the center of the upper level to provide shelter for the long walk.

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An enclosed walkway seems so simple yet so incredibly useful. It's common in private spaces like shopping malls and should be built everywhere a bridge is needed. At least build a canopy.

The entire upper level of this bridge is for bikes and pedestrians only, so you can still walk outside if it's a nice day. The lower level was just reconstructed to add tracks for the new Central Corridor light rail line (the topic of several upcoming posts). It's a critical link for transit as thousands of bus passengers are carried across every day. Next I would like to see the vehicle lanes become exclusive bus lanes, and we'll have a truly sustainable bridge.