Traffic on West Markham Street could soon begin moving again, but one familiar piece of infrastructure near the Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind appears to be headed for permanent removal.
The City of Little Rock announced Thursday that it will move forward with demolishing the pedestrian bridge spanning West Markham Street after engineers determined the structure was no longer safe following a vehicle collision earlier this week. The bridge was struck by a vehicle on Monday, forcing the city to close Markham Street between Barton and Thayer streets while the bridge’s condition was evaluated.
According to the city’s announcement, demolition is now the quickest way to safely reopen one of Little Rock’s busiest east-west corridors. City officials are currently seeking a contractor to perform the demolition work, after which Markham Street will reopen to vehicular traffic.
No Plans to Replace the Bridge
While the demolition announcement raises questions about future pedestrian access, the city says replacing the bridge is not currently part of the discussion.
Arkansas Outside spoke with Mayor Frank Scott Jr.’s Communications Manager, Aaron Sadler, who said the city’s immediate focus is solely on securing a contractor to remove the damaged bridge and restore traffic on Markham Street.
That means pedestrians who previously relied on the bridge to cross the busy roadway will likely need to use at-grade crossings for the foreseeable future unless future plans change.
Important Connection for the Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind
The pedestrian bridge served students, staff, and visitors at the Arkansas School for the Deaf and Blind as well as residents in the Capital View-Stift Station and Hillcrest neighborhoods, connecting portions of the campus separated by West Markham Street. The bridge allowed pedestrians to avoid crossing several lanes of fast-moving traffic.
Its removal leaves unanswered questions about how pedestrian movements will be accommodated once traffic resumes.
The city has not announced whether temporary pedestrian improvements, signal modifications, or future crossing enhancements will accompany the reopening of Markham Street.
Focus Remains on Reopening Traffic
For now, the city’s priority is reopening the roadway as quickly as possible. Officials have not released a timeline for demolition, but indicated work will begin once a contractor is selected.
Until then, the section of West Markham Street between Barton Street and Thayer Street remains closed to through traffic, and motorists should continue using alternate routes.
Questions That Remain
Although demolition appears certain, several questions remain unanswered:
- Will the city eventually pursue funding for a replacement pedestrian bridge?
- Will a safer at-grade pedestrian crossing be installed after the bridge is removed?
- How will students, faculty, staff, and visitors safely cross West Markham Street in the long term?
- Will traffic signal timing or pedestrian infrastructure be modified to accommodate increased street-level crossings?
Those questions are likely to become more pressing once vehicle traffic returns and the bridge is gone. For now, city officials say their focus remains on safely removing the damaged structure and restoring normal traffic flow.
For now, the nearest pedestrian crossings are at Markham and Kavanagh to the west (a two street crossing) and 3rd and State Capital.
This article was originally published on ArkansasOutside.com, your trusted source for outdoor news and updates in The Natural State. Unless otherwise credited, all photos included in this piece are the property of Arkansas Outside, LLC. We take pride in sharing the beauty and adventures of Arkansas through our lens—thank you for supporting our work!
