Reinken overpass to get pedestrian bridge

September 22, 2009

Belen Mayor Ronnie Torres announced at last night’s city council meeting that the City of Belen has been working on architectural plans for the new pedestrian-friendly crossing that will get visiting Rail Runner riders and others from the station platform to the Heart of Belen along Becker Avenue.

Torres said the plans include a pedestrian bridge to be constructed above the Reinken Avenue overpass just west of the center of the overpass, totaling 17 feet from the roadway to the top of the crossing.

The crossing, being designed to reflect the architecture of Belen’s Harvey House, the Kuhn Hotel and the Heart of Belen triumph arch and gazebo, will provide easier pedestrian access to downtown.

“It has to fit in with our community,” Torres said of the project’s ceramic tile roofing and antique lights.

The city has eliminated from the plans a proposal that suggested constructing elevators to get pedestrians up the sides of the overpass. Torres said the maintenance costs would have been too high and citizens had expressed concern about vandalism and other possible abuse common to public elevators.

“There was going to be an elevator. There’s not an elevator anymore,” Torres said. “It was going to cost too much to keep up.”

Instead, the city will be constructing staggered walkways up and down the sides of the overpass.

When pedestrians get off the Rail Runner, they will follow a pathway to an inclined staggered walkway they can ascend. Then they can descend near the Kuhn Hotel on the northwest side of the overpass or cross over the four lanes of the overpass to Second Street, where more staggered walkways will be built.

“They can go down to the Kuhn Hotel. They can go to Anna Becker Park. They can go to Second Street to Becker, or they can go to First Street where Pete’s is,” Torres said of Pete’s Cafe.

Torres said the new lighting for the pedestrian crossing will be solar powered.

“They kicked a little bit when we asked for that, but you’ve got to ask for it before they’re building it,” he said. “We asked for it. It looks really good and it’s going to save us energy.”

Torres said the design will be up for public discussion at a future meeting.

The pedestrian bridge is funded by a $3-million state appropriation of American Recovery and Reinvestment Act funds awarded to the city in June.

Posted in: Infrastructure