Paradise Lane Pedestrian Bridge

The Paradise Lane Pedestrian Bridge spans State Highway 51, providing a safe passageway for pedestrian and bicycle traffic between the residential areas on either side. The bridge cover, a visually elaborate woven basket-like structure, suggests a kind of reweaving of the two sides of the neighborhood. Travelers experience the interior as an intriguing play of light and shadow. The “basket” cover is woven from galvanized metal strips, which are perforated at the bottom while the top-half remains solid. A unique switchback-path access ramp has been designed to limit the physical impact on the neighborhood. It utilizes a single triangular wall that serves several purposes: as an abutment for the bridge span; as a support for the first ramp; it retains earth for the second ramp; and it creates a sound wall for the neighborhood. The artist has revealed the simplicity and integrity of the natural gray concrete for the ramps and support structure of the bridge.