Painted pedestrian bridge will create a more enjoyable walk to school | Arts & Culture

South Park’s “Little Bridge” – a pedestrian walkway that spans SR99 at South Henderson Street – will soon become an artistic walkway leading children to Concord Elementary School.

Right now, the pedestrian bridge is dull, rusty and overgrown. Some say it attracts crime and parents don’t always see it as an ideal pathway for their kids.

But Feet First has come up with a plan to revitalize the bridge and encourage more families to use it when walking to Concord Elementary School. Community members are asked to help clean and paint the bridge in several work parties during the coming weeks.

Local Artist Amaranta Ibarra-Sandys is working with South Park residents to create a design that represents and reflects the people who use the bridge.  

“A bridge: it’s a structure, built to cross water, creek, lake or an obstacle. To me, a bridge is to connect with people, to bring community together, to cross the bridge and get to our places. This has been a great experience and one of my very first public art projects,” said Ibarra-Sandys.

 A grant from the Seattle Foundation’s Neighbor-to-Neighbor fund will pay for the paint and other supplies and a grant from Seattle Department of Transportation will help replace the rusty fence, along with several donations from local South Park Businesses:  Ferguson Construction, Commercial Fence Corp., Arkadia Woodworking, and Boyer Logistics. 

Volunteers are asked to help clean and scrub the bridge on Monday, August 23, in preparation for our painting days. Painting days will be from August 24 and September 3, as weather permits. Please RSVP to jen@feetfirst.info.

Community members are also welcome to vote on the design theme at either of these meetings:

• Thursday, August 12, 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. at Concord Elementary
• Saturday, August 14 or Tuesday, August 17 at the South Park Branch Library during open hours.