Wards Road closed at 10 p.m. Thursday night and when it re-opened a little before 6 a.m. Friday, there was a new fixture over the roadway.
A pedestrian bridge to connect Liberty University’s campus to shopping outlets on the other side of Wards Road was put in place between the two brick towers that were erected last month.
The pedestrian bridge developed from a partnership between Lynchburg and Liberty. The city agreed to fund $1.35 million of the bridge, with Liberty covering the rest. Lynchburg will own the bridge and pay for capital repairs, while Liberty will be in charge of small-scale maintenance.
The bridge is first part in an effort to improve pedestrian access along Wards Road. Liberty is constructing a pedestrian tunnel that will run beneath the railroad tracks, connecting the campus to other shopping areas. The city plans to break ground in the coming months on a series of walkways along Wards Road, connecting the bridge to different shopping centers.