Yep, another one. Only this one is planned to be complete later this year, with an estimated cost of just over $835,550. But how can this be? you might ask. Well, this bridge isn’t connecting Kentucky to Indiana; it’s connecting the Muhammad Ali Center to the Belvedere.
It’s a 170-foot-long, nine-foot-wide pedestrian walkway. Authorities hope the project will create a “healthier, more convenient way to explore our vibrant downtown,” in the words of Mayor Fischer. It will connect the Ali Center to the Kentucky Center for the Arts and the Yum! Center.
$410,000 for the project will come out of the city’s capital budget, with the rest provided by PARC. Louisville has awarded the project to Whittenberg Construction. According to Mayor Fischer, the construction crews plan to break ground sometime this spring.
The response from Kentucky Center president Stephen Klein was positive. “This new walkway will generate the kind of energy that we want to see flowing throughout downtown,” said Klein. The new bridge may not get you to work, but it will help you get some culture without having to cross 6th street.
It’s only too bad the bridge won’t be done in time for the Ali 70th Birthday Party tomorrow (Whittenberg Construction said they just couldn’t swing it). The champ’s birthday celebration takes place tomorrow, Saturday, January 14th, from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. at the Ali Center. A few tickets are still available at the $1,000 per person level.
And if that $1,000 price-tag seems a little steep, the Ali Center is also putting on “Seven Days for Seven Decades” to celebrate the inspiring life of our hometown hero. Many of these events are free, according to the Ali Center website.
