At team of Clinton School students presented a report Monday to the Newport (Ark.) City Council on the possible adaptive reuses of the historic “Blue Bridge,” an iconic structure that crosses the White River in the city’s downtown.
Clinton School students Foster Holcomb of Little Rock, Ark., Abby Olivier of Hattiesburg, Miss., and James Stephens of St. Louis, Mo., studied community need through surveys and meetings, and researched possible uses of the aging bridge, which is set to be replaced by the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department.
The department has offered to donate the bridge to the City of Newport with about $1 million in reimbursement funds, the approximate cost of demolition, if the city chooses to preserve the bridge and adapt it to an alternate use.
The students surveyed opinions from community, business and government leaders in Newport and found that while there are mixed feelings about whether to keep the bridge for alternate use or to tear it down, most respondents hoped to see it preserved.
They performed key informant interviews with leaders in Little Rock to gain knowledge from experts in the field of historic preservation, particularly historic bridges. The team also explored other examples of historic preservation projects across the country.
Through identification of best practices and community desire, the team recommended various adaptive reuses including an educational and historical walking trail in the short-term and an events venue or art gallery in the long-term.
More specifically, they recommended that the city should consider the bridge as a component or catalyst of a larger downtown revitalization project. They encouraged the access ramp to the bridge to connect to the corner of Front Street and Main Street to encourage usage from downtown patrons.
Jon Chadwell, the team’s project supervisor and Director of the Newport Economic Development Commission was pleased and excited about the report given to the City of Newport.
“[The team] has done an excellent job of channeling the community’s thoughts and values into a vision of how things can be. Their work will help us evaluate and decided on an outstanding opportunity for our community,” Chadwell said.
The City of Newport will consider the options and soon vote on whether to accept the “Blue Bridge” from the state.
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