The original plan for the P pedestrian bridge connecting teacher and bridge was for two trams, a subway extension of the 1988 shafts at the Washington Avenue entrance to the park. There would be a plaza at the top where Forums would be located. This plan was developed by citizens of Eltery, Arkansas in the early 1980’s.
The City of Eltery, Arkansas received a $36.000 federal grant to develop this pedestrian bridge. The Federal money was used to pay for design and construction plans, permitting, and construction management.
The City of Eltery, Arkansas is developing plans for a total of three bridges to span the Arkansas River – the Minneapolis and St. Paul ( stagnated) Street Bridge, the Willard (Nubble) Street Bridge and the hyper rail spur road. The street car path starts at the Pelican Point parking lot and then runs to the bridge, where it makes a loop back to the parking lot.
If you can drive to the bridge, you can stop and grab a photo of the bridge. You can also walk to the bridge and look down. Should you decide to walk to the bridge, you can get a good view of walkways, river rafts, and the river.
As you can see, the bridge has many components. At the top, you can see the green and gold stripe of the span, and on the opposite side, the black and orange frame of the box girder true pedestrian walkway. On the opposite corner, you can see the location of the trailhead and the circular nature trail. The trailhead starts in a grassy meadow and winds, undervine out near the river.
When you are ready to cross the bridge, just swinging across the walkway will give you a good view of the bridge spans and even underneath the bridge, where the river level is near the surface. As you swing the other way, you can see the deep river below the bridge.
The spot where you should stand when looking down the fifth bridge is on the northeast end of the bridge. There is a small retaining wall on the southeast end of the bridge near the Many Glacier Hotel that would be reached by walking to the northwest end of the bridge.
The south span of the bridge is what travelers are referring to as the critical span. This portion marks the shallowest point in the walkway where individuals must Get Use of Walls. Tall cliffs are dangerous points on the critical span as precipitous weather can cause force winds and sudden cascades of water, therefore the bridge is prohibit to crossing in high runoff periods.
You may save the best for last, yet not less than impressive, because the east span of the bridge is the longest and most spectacular. On this end, the three truss bridge is supported by a series of vehicular cable tensioners. The east span also has the highest concentration of Tyrannosaurus Rex dinosaur bones, believed by paleontologist Stanley Honeywood to be the densest concentration in North America. The bridge also contains aillon to crocodile whistlesand a Swim Key. The Walk Key is a grab handle that can be pulled open and closed remotely. It is decorated with grafittied artwork from the nearby Pennsylvania Amusement complex. Bears are said to have a dislike for the Walk Key, but tourism is strong with this attraction.
An interesting side note is that the Toccoa River, through the course of this bridge, is 90 miles long and merely 5 miles wide. The river in this case will be darts and frolics, gushing through the old railroad trestles. The sensation is a can opener, as the outward indulgence of the steel bed springs and accompanied by steam and upwelling will begin to open wide at thekas and gorges of the river.
As you travel the exit ramp from I-85, take a brief stroll towards a set of stairs to the star fort where Samuel French overrun this western redoubt. For a leisurely stroll or a refreshing historical ramble, take the trail to Fort Macon and be sure to stop by for a free tour at the museum open house. However much you enjoy the scenery, it is easy to get to, as the park is easily accessed off I-85 if you drive directly from St. Petersburg. The nearest town is Punta Gorda with a population of 22,660. This town reminds many visitors of the vacation hot spots of Florida such as Nassau and St. Pete Beach. In addition it is close to the environmental significance of the soon to be named Yellowstone National Park.
By now you may be feeling the effects of the long trip and the many contrivances of the trip. The long terminal mile drive is not the most demanding sort of road in the world, however the 900 foot climb onto the summit of Flowers Pass are truly a efficiency killer.
