The pedestrian bridge between Lancaster Avenue and Meadowbrook Drive will soon be a thing of the past, as the state’s transportation department continues work on its largest investment in Fort Worth highways to date.
The Southeast Connector, a $2.1 billion project, will reconstruct and expand 16 miles of Interstate 20 and Interstate 820, with I-20 expanding to 10 main lanes from I-820 to U.S. 287. The work spans across Fort Worth, Arlington, Kennedale and Forest Hill. It is intended to connect the east and southeast parts of Tarrant County to the county’s central core while relieving highway congestion.
As part of that project, which is expected to be completed by 2028, TxDOT is demolishing the pedestrian bridge alongside Handley Park, nestled between Lancaster Avenue and Meadowbrook Drive. The demolition was originally planned to start Nov. 18 and be completed over four days but was delayed due to rain. Workers now are targeting a start date of Nov. 23 for the main portion of the demolition.
Nicholas Andryshak, public information coordinator with South-Point Constructors, said the bridge is being demolished because the Southeast Connector project will add dedicated pedestrian access at each street that crosses over or under I-820, including:
- Wilbarger Street
- Berry Street
- Ramey Avenue
- Rosedale Street
- Lancaster Avenue
- Craig Street
- Meadowbrook Drive
Right now, Andryshak said, residents who want to use the pedestrian bridge have to cross frontage roads without sidewalks, signage or protected pedestrian crossings. TxDOT conducted a use study on the pedestrian bridge, the Craig Street bridge and the Meadowbrook Drive bridge. That study found that, over a four-day period, the Meadowbrook bridge saw 373 users, the Craig bridge saw 65, and the pedestrian bridge saw only 27.
“TxDOT assumes these travel counts reflect the preferences of bike and pedestrian users that currently cross I-820,” Andryshak wrote in an email.
Motorists should see minor impacts on I-820 nightly between 9 p.m. and 6 a.m. The Southeast Connector project has faced previous delays due to rising costs and inflation, which pushed the estimated completion date back by a year.
This article first appeared on Fort Worth Report and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.
