The City of Jeffersonville has completed its fundraising efforts to help turn the Big Four Bridge railroad bridge into a pedestrian walkway. A 160 thousand dollar gift brings the city’s total to $1.2 million. That money will be used to pedestrian and bicycle accessible ramp onto the bridge.Officials are hoping federal dollars for a new downtown Ohio River bridge will be allocated for the Big Four project. Jeffersonville Director of Planning and Development Jim Urban says getting that money depends on presenting a renovated Big Four Bridge as a better option for pedestrians than a new downtown Bridge.
“If they see this as a viable alternative, instead of dumping people off in Spaghetti Junction on foot or on bicycle, that the Big Four Bridge is a good alternative for that moneys, they’ll allocate some of that towards the bridge," he says.On the Louisville side, funding for the bridge approach has been secured. The project is scheduled to be completed in 2011.