Long Description:When construction of the Durham Freeway (Highway NC-147) began in
1965, it physically divided several neighborhoods, and caused the
destruction of many elegant old houses.
In an effort to mitigate the impact on citizens in the affected
area, a 500-foot pedestrian bridge was included in the road
project. One of the main reasons was to give access from the north
side of the freeway to Burton Elementary School on the south side.
This would allow children to walk to school with minimum exposure
to traffic. For safety, the bridge was constructed with tall,
solid-metal sides. That way, the roadway beneath was not visible,
which put small children at ease.
Everyone who drives NC-147 sees the span, which resembles a
giant "I-Beam" stretched over the highway. The color originally was
a dull green. It is just east of the intersection of the freeway
with Alston Avenue (Highway NC-55). Most motorists are unaware of
the purpose of the bridge. That fact, plus the fading paint, has
lead to the nickname, "The Ugly Green Thing".
By the 1980's, the bridge had become a hang-out for older
children, and was cited as a contributor to neighborhood crime. In
the late 1980's, there were several incidents of large stones and
cinderblocks being heaved over the side of the bridge onto traffic
below, resulting in death and injury to innocent drivers. A wire
"ceiling" was installed to prevent this from happening. Meanwhile,
times had changed, and school children were riding school buses
instead of walking across the bridge.
The bridge was closed in 1995. On both ends, large signs
proclaim that this is NCDOT property and trespassing is forbidden.
Access is blocked by massive iron bars and a chain-link fence.
The GPS coordinates are for the south end of the bridge, which
is the most accessible. On the north end, at the corner of Lakeland
and Humphrey Streets, the view of the bridge is blocked by heavy
vegetation.
Plans are being developed to demolish this bridge and replace it
with a bicycle-friendly version having better lighting and
visibility. (Let's don't create the same problems as we had in the
past!) The $2 Million project was in the design stage (92%
complete) in April, 2007. It is possible, therefore, that this old
bridge will be removed during 2008-2009. See the website link below
for an artist's proposal for the new structure--which was
influenced by the new pedestrian bridge over the Raleigh
Beltline.
To reach from NC-147, take Exit 11 (Alston Avenue, NC-55). Go
south about two blocks and turn left on Linwood. Go left on
Ridgeway and curve around to the right as the road becomes
Mathison, then left on Lakeland. The bridge is one block north of
the elementary school.
