South Fork Breaks Ground on Confluence Bridge
Our neighborhood and South Fork Conservancy celebrated an exciting milestone this week, when the long-awaited groundbreaking of the Confluence Bridge took place.
News coverage of the virtual groundbreaking event appeared on WSB-TV, along with archive footage from our very own Armand Park, which anchors a portion of South Fork’s Confluence Trail.
This $2.5 million landmark project will be ADA-accessible when it is constructed north of I-85 between Piedmont Road and Lindbergh Drive. It will connect the South and North forks of Peachtree Creek for trail and nature lovers.
It also links multiple neighborhoods and will provide a connecting trail to the Northeast portion of the Atlanta Beltline, linking a series of urban parks in one fell swoop.
“This is an impressive project which will connect 25 acres of new greenspace to one of the most park-deprived areas of the city,” said Atlanta City Council member Jennifer Ide.
“Having easy access to local green space is critical now more than ever, and this bridge, made possible by South Fork Conservancy, will deliver nature trails and creek views to thousands of people,” she said.
For now, silt fences will be put up in a week or so. Then, as far as the association understands, there will be some tree and debris removal. But, once complete, the 175-foot pedestrian bridge, with an equally long ADA ramp, will make the total structure nearly as long as a football field.
Its highest point will be just short of 12 feet tall. Constructed out of Corten steel and concrete decking, it will require one of the largest cranes in North America to lift it in place!
Construction is expected to be completed by early fall 2020.
The Confluence Bridge will be constructed throughout the summer and ready this fall.
The start of the work zone is marked with yellow caution tape beginning the week of May 24. Construction is underway! Click the image above to see a photo gallery of progress the next few months.
UPDATE
Micropiles Underway as of July 2020
At the South Fork Conservancy, we work each day to restore the banks of the South Fork so that community members and urban wildlife have healthy natural places for rest and restoration.
Our hyper focus on restoration is why we’ve spent the last several weeks installing over 1,200 feet of micropiles deep into bedrock for the Confluence Bridge. (See photo gallery.)
You will never see these foundations, and that is the point. By installing them underground they will not impact the flow of water or add any impermeable surfaces near the creek. Multiple, large-scale concrete foundations would have been less expensive but would not have met our standards for a low-impact bridge project.
Sometimes it is what you can’t see that matters the most.