Daniel’s Hill community weighs in on D Street design

By Alicia Petska

Published: November 21, 2008

The Daniel’s Hill community was asked to weigh in on the design of the new D Street bridge during a neighborhood meeting Thursday.

Attendants agreed they wanted to retain certain key elements of the current bridge aesthetic, including the arch structure of the supports and the brick paving along one entryway.

“We are sensitive,” City Manager Kimball Payne said at one point as residents fired off questions. “We don’t want this to be plain and ugly.”

The city plans to replace the crumbling D Street bridge, which was closed in March after being deemed unsafe. The bridge provides one of only two entrances to the small, isolated Daniel’s Hill neighborhood.

Current timelines call for the replacement bridge to open in December 2010. Residents stressed the need to get the work done posthaste and seemed to agree that speed was more important than looks at the end of the day.

“If it’s going to affect the timing of the bridge, I’m not for it,” said Cabell Street homeowner Robert Penick. “You know, make it something nice and try to blend in with the neighborhood. But if it’s going to take another three or four years, then forget it.”

“I think everyone agrees they’d rather have a bridge sooner than have something that’s just beautiful,” said resident Cynthia Eubanks.

A group of around 25 turned up for the hour-long community meeting.

City officials plan to hold another meeting in spring to unveil their final design ideas. The bridge is being designed by Lynchburg engineers Schwartz & Associates, Inc.

Residents appeared open to most of the possibilities suggested Thursday, save for one. The concept of adding a high fence for safety, similar to what’s planned for the adjacent Rivermont Avenue bridge, where there have been several suicides, was not popular.

“That looks horrible,” said resident Mabel Penick. “I can understand (why a fence is needed on Rivermont) because they’ve had people jumping off. But we haven’t had that on D Street.”

Local supporters of safety fencing have said in the past that both bridges require it, given the close proximity and equal heights of the two structures.

The city has already allocated $3 million for the D Street bridge project, although Payne said cost estimates are now climbing closer to $3.75 million.

Thursday’s meeting ended with discussion of a new shuttle service approved for the neighborhood to replace its former bus service, which was cut off by the bridge’s closing.

City Council approved the shuttle last month on a split vote after extended debate. The Greater Lynchburg Transit Company is now keeping a tally of its ridership and may discontinue the service if the level of use does not justify the high five-figures cost.

Ward II Councilman Ceasor Johnson — who represents Daniel’s Hill and advocated for the service at council — reminded residents of the stakes and urged them to get on the shuttle.

“We had to fight to get this route,” Johnson told the gathering. “Use it, use it, use it. If you don’t use it, you what? You lose it.”

GLTC administrators plan to make their first ridership report to their board of directors in December. City Council, which granted the service six months of funding, is expected to revisit the issue sometime around April.