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Leaders from Augusta and North Augusta have received the preliminary engineering design for a 1,300-foot-long pedestrian bridge that would link Riverwalk Augusta and the Greeneway.
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A 21st century alliance between Augusta and North Augusta became formalized Wednesday as business leaders and government officials discussed their transportation futures, including a plan to connect the two cities with a pedestrian/bicycle bridge.
"When you get a postcard from Augusta in 10 years, that will hopefully be the picture on it," said Skip Grkovic, the director of North Augusta economic and community development, referring to the proposed bridge over the Savannah River that would connect North Augusta's Greeneway to Riverwalk Augusta.
At Wednesday's meeting at the Pinnacle Club in Augusta, officials discussed a "21st century strategic alliance" between the cities to work together on future connecting road projects. More meetings are planned.
"We're going to be literally building new bridges together," said Lee Smith, the president and CEO of the CSRA Community Foundation.
Several road projects in need of federal and local funding - including a Georgia Avenue extension in North Augusta, the Bobby Jones Expressway extension and a railroad relocation plan - were discussed at the meeting. The most recent plan involved the pedestrian bridge, which had its preliminary engineering design completed within the past week.
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The construction of a pedestrian/bicycle bridge across the Savannah River would connect Augusta to North Augusta and could become a symbol for the two cities.
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The bridge would connect Riverwalk Augusta to the Greeneway near the 13th Street bridge. It is designed to have two, 200-foot-high support towers and would be 14 feet wide, 1,300 feet long and 50 feet high.
Mr. Grkovic said the bridge idea has received a "good response so far" for federal funding. Its anticipated schedule is as follows: completion of the final design by March 2004, construction start in July 2004, and overall completion by December 2004.
Reach Preston Sparks at (706) 828-3904 or preston.sparks@augustachronicle.com
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