The new 18th Street pedestrian bridge opened this weekend! The bridge, officially known now as the Union Gateway Bridge (although I suspect everyone will still call it the 18th Street Pedestrian Bridge), connects the Riverfront Park and Union Station districts in the Central Platte Valley. The bridge crosses over the Consolidated Main Line (CML) freight tracks and, in a few months, it will also span the tail tracks for the relocated light rail station that will be built a block away at 17th Street and the CML. Let’s take a trip across the bridge, starting from the Union Station side.
A view of the bridge with the Glass House and the Manhattan in the background, and the copper cladding on the elevator cores:
The new streetscape along the northeast side of 18th Street, and an overview of site prep work for the big Union Station project:
Looking back at Downtown, and a look down at where the plaza at the base of the bridge will connect to the northern end of the new light rail platform:
More Union Station site prep work, and the bridge from the Riverfront Park side:
Click here for a few more details about the bridge from a recent Denver Business Journal article.
I like it a lot–simpler design than the bridges on Sixteenth, and elegant with the copper and other materials. I can’t wait to see it as busy as the Millennium Bridge, but first they’ll have to spend millions putting buildings around it and getting that light rail station open.
I call it M2 – Millennium Bridge 2
I like it. Though I wonder if one can walk across it at night without being harassed by cops like what happens if trying to cross Commons Park?
I also wonder about how much use it will get (and how safe it will feel because it may not be used much) until the area develops more.
It may never be as busy because it connects less. Anyone from the other side of the Platte, from the other side of 15th Street, or coming down from the 16th Street mall (which is the natural pedestrian walkway downtown) will be aligned to use the 16th Street bridge system, not the 18th Street bridge.
Who would use it except those bound for the North End of the Commons Park neighborhood or people bound for the skatepark?
I also wonder if less traffic will translate into less political pressure to maintain it.