A recent contribution to this series discussed the new pedestrian bridge at Mercer University that connects new student apartments on the south side of Mercer University Drive with the main campus on the north side of Mercer University Drive. This discussion provided an example of how CSU could transform the little strip mall across University Avenue that faces the main entrance to CSU. Like Mercer U, CSU also has a pedestrian bridge, as shown in the image above. CSU's pedestrian bridge connects the southern edge of the main campus to the larger northern portion of the campus. Whereas Mercer's is more of a load bearing through arch bridge, CSU's is supported by a concrete pillar situated underneath the center of the bridge.
Mercer's version of a pedestrian bridge offers the aesthetic advantage that the large arch can be lit, as in the image at left, making for a nice focal point in the evenings. What if CSU installed a faux through arch on its own pedestrian bridge that could be lit up at night, like Mercer's pedestrian bridge, perhaps in school colors? By "faux" we mean that CSU's arch would not have to constructed as a load-bearing arch, only a decorative one. Certainly Salem, Alabama's, Atchley Steel, the fabricator of architectural metals that built the wave shapers that were installed in the Chattahoochee River near Uptown Columbus forming the two major rapids at the end of the whitewater course, could construct a relatively lightweight arch that could be fitted to the already existing pedestrian bridge at CSU. It seems like a sure way to create a nice draw to campus. What do you think?
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