Cedar Rapids took a crucial step forward on plans to build the Smokestock Bridge—a pedestrian bridge across the Cedar River.
"[The Cedar Rapids City Council] agreed Tuesday to the acquisition of what is left of the old Rock Island Railroad bridge over the Cedar River, a key milestone in plans for an iconic new pedestrian span called the Smokestack Bridge," reports Brian Morelli.
"City Council approved a resolution authorizing a $1 real estate purchase for the bridge, of which only piers and part of the deck remain, and property at the southern foot of the bridge from Cedar Rapids and Iowa City Railway Co., or CRANDIC," explains Morelli.
As for the Smokestack Bridge, the city has been planning the project since 2015, intending for the bridge to become an icon in the Iowa trail system and the American Discovery Trail system.
"The bridge would pay homage to the smokestack demolished after the 2008 flood and fires at the old Sinclair meatpacking plant, which no longer exists. Preliminary designs call for a cable-stayed, twin deck suspension bridge that would tie into the Cedar River Trail and downtown trail system. At the center would be a 192-foot-tall replica of the smokestack."
FULL STORY: Cedar Rapids acquires remnants of Rock Island Railroad bridge for pedestrian span
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