The revamp of a Berks County pedestrian bridge needs the opinions of runners, cyclists, commuters, fishers, and other lovers of outdoors.
The 600-foot-long Reading Gateway Bridge spans over the Schuylkill River, connecting Reading and West Reading from Riverfront Park.
“There is only one way to redesign the bridge – and that’s by hearing what the people want,” said Anthony Orozco, director of operations for Barrio Alegria, which is spearheading the public outreach for the project. “This redesign is not coming from some out-of-town consultant or a boardroom somewhere. This is being directly steered by the desires and imagination of everyday people who want the best for the city, the bridge, and the Schuylkill River Trail.”
People who want to have their say on the new design of the bridge are encouraged to respond to the survey, before May 31st, found here: https://bit.ly/4d8ah7O
Barrio Alegria is working hand-in-hand with Schuylkill River Greenways, the nonprofit steward of the Schuylkill River Trail. Elaine Schaefer, executive director for SRG, said the bridge redesign is part of a larger project to extend and improve the trail. But more than changing the trail for the better, SRG is aiming to make the city better.
“The extension of the SRT through Reading and the transformation of the Reading Gateway Bridge are two projects that will directly impact and benefit the surrounding neighborhoods,” Schaefer said. “As such, SRG hopes to engage all residents to be part of the envisioning and creative thought that goes into design and planning.”
Schaefer and Orozco said they would like to see input from all sorts of people who use the bridge. SRG and Barrio Alegria have already held three public listening sessions for the bridge, two of which were interactive community meetings and the third was a pop-up survey of actual pedestrians using the bridge.
Since that time, SRG has tapped Berks-based engineering firm Muhlenberg Green Architects to aid in creating sketches of the potential bridge designs based on suggestions and data collected from the public.
“It is really exciting to see people’s visions come to life,” Orozco said. “The more responses we get from this survey, the closer we get to making dreams into reality, which to be honest, is probably the biggest reason we commit ourselves to this work.”
A small steering committee of neighbors, cyclists, RACC, GoggleWorks Center for the Arts, Nemesis Running Club and others will be reviewing survey data at the end of May and will play a part in making the final design for the bridge. Schaefer says she hopes this portion of the trail becomes a landmark for pedestrians and experience for all those who use the trail, both locals and those passing through.
“The SRT connects communities in five counties and along 120 miles of river, but in the end it is also a local, community asset that brings people together,” Schaefer said. “We want to design this section to do just that – to be a welcoming and beloved place to enjoy with neighbors and also show off to visitors.”