The City of Alexandria and Arlington County announced today the opening of The Four Mile Run Pedestrian-Cyclist Professional Bridge Competition and Call for Qualifications.
The bridge is planned to connect the trail near South Eads Street in Arlington to the trail near Commonwealth Avenue in Alexandria, as set forth in the Four Mile Run Restoration Master Plan. The Master Plan, adopted by Arlington County and the City of Alexandria in 2006, envisions the stream corridor as a location celebrating the diversity and vitality of the surrounding neighborhoods. One component of the Master Plan calls for connections between the two communities through a series of new pedestrian-cyclist bridges. This competition marks the beginning of the design process for the first of these bridges.
"This pedestrian bridge will be much more than a means to get people across the Run by foot or bike without getting wet. It must be a structure that can function as the keystone in creating a sense of place, uniting two communities that now live separately on each side into a whole with the restored stream as its special and celebrated center," remarked Judy Guse-Noritake, Chair of Alexandria's Park & Recreation Commission and Co-Chair of the Four Mile Run Joint Task Force.
The Four Mile Run Pedestrian-Cyclist Bridge Design Competition commences through a Request for Qualifications (RFQ) process published on the Bridge Design Competition website (http://www.4milerun.org).
The website includes background, site information, qualifications and submission requirements. Candidates may also submit questions and receive answers through the project website.
The Northern Virginia Regional Commission is overseeing the competition with technical assistance from the Washington Alexandria Center of the Virginia Tech College of Architecture and Urban Studies. An internationally renowned panel of jurors will recommend the top three qualified design teams. After public presentation by the three finalists, the jury will recommend the winning design team.
Virginia Department of Transportation provided a Transportation Enhancement grant to support the design of the Pedestrian-Cyclist Bridge. The bridge is part of a regional effort by local residents; staff from Arlington County, City of Alexandria, the United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) and the Northern Virginia Regional Commission (NVRC); and consultants to restore the ecological and environmental features, recreational opportunities, aesthetics, and urban form of lower Four Mile Run.
This call for Qualifications will be open until November 30, 2009.
Check the project web site for updates http://www.4milerun.org.
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