click to enlarge Screen Capture / Google Maps
The Pedro Romero Pedestrian Bridge was built in 1978. It collapsed this week after being hit by a dump truck.
The City of San Antonio is already working to replace a West Side pedestrian bridge that collapsed Tuesday after being struck by a dump truck, Department of Public Works officials told the
Current.
The revelation of those plans comes after family members connected to the construction of the Pedro Romero Pedestrian Bridge
launched a petition calling on the city to rebuild.
Completed in 1978, the walkway allowed kids attending nearby Gardendale Elementary to get to school without having to traverse busy Castroville Road. Romero, for whom the bridge is named, went door-to-door collecting signatures supporting its construction.
"Due to the collapse, my family is saddened, and we hope the bridge gets rebuilt in our grandfather's honor," members of the Romero family wrote online.
Public Works officials will work with the city's insurance company and a construction contractor to develop a design and construction schedule over the next few weeks, said April Luna, a spokesperson for the city department.
In the meantime, the Public Works will install a beacon-equipped pedestrian crossing at the intersection of Castroville Road and Dahlgren Avenue. The crossing should be functional by the time students head back to campus in mid-March following spring break, Luna added.
Luna told the
Current the collapse had more to do with the force of the truck's impact rather than the bridge's structural soundness. City officials are unsure how fast the vehicle was going during the collision, she added.
Height-restriction signs were posted on both sides of the structure, according to Luna.
"There are several factors that influence the damage that a bridge can incur when an object collides with it," she said. "The Castroville Road Pedestrian Bridge was designed and built over the roadway on a smaller scale to provide a protected crossing for pedestrians. Larger scale bridges that support both vehicular and pedestrian traffic are intentionally built to support heavier weight."
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