Kyrene Monte Vista Pedestrian Bridge

FACT SHEET

• Ray Road at Thunderhill Place is a curved street with a high volume of traffic and high traffic speeds.  The location is quantified as 200 / 1000 / 30 – meaning 200 students crossing Ray Road as 1000 vehicles pass by during a 30-minute window each morning and afternoon.

• From January 1996 to September 2003, there were 34 collisions within 150 feet of the Ray Road and Thunderhill Place intersection.  Seventeen of those collisions resulted in injuries to the motorists or vehicle occupants and one involved a high speed roll-over crash by an out-of-control speeding vehicle just across from the elementary school.

• When KyreneMonteVistaElementary School was first opened, a child riding a bike across Ray Road about a half-mile east of the school was killed by a Ray Road motorist.  This tragic death created a great concern among parents and school administrators for the safety of the other young children that cross Ray Road daily to and from the school.

• Parents, school administrators and members of the Ahwatukee Village Planning Committee worked with city officials to find a solution.

• January 2000 - A task force was established to improve safety at school crossings citywide and make recommendations.

• February 2001 - The School Safety Task Force identified the Ray Road crossing at KyreneMonteVistaSchool as one of five crossings where special measures should be taken due to unusual circumstances.

• June 2001 - Phoenix City Council approved the design of the pedestrian bridge.

• July 2001 - SVR, Inc., Design Engineer Consultant, was hired to proceed with the study and design of the bridge.

• The design team considered various options including a tunnel under Ray Road.  A tunnel was rejected due to safety and security issues including storm drain/flooding, major relocation of water and sewer lines, and pedestrian safety in an underground tunnel.

• The design team studied four different bridge locations and concluded the optimal location was the northwest corner to the northeast corner of Ray Road and Thunderhill Place.

• November 2001 - The first public information meeting was held at Kyrene Monte Vista Elementary School to discuss the selected bridge location.  The city of Phoenix Office of Arts and Culture also announced their participation as part of the Percent for Art Program.

• January 2002 – Five finalists were selected from a list of 100 artists by an artist selection panel.

• February 2002 - Local artist Alan Price, Al Price Studio, was selected to design the bridge cage.  Working with the design engineer, SVR, Inc., development of the art concept began.

• March and April 2002 - City staff held meetings with residents located immediately adjacent to the bridge and Kyrene MonteVistaSchool representatives to discuss modifications to the alignment of the bridge and ramps, as well as the impact to the residents and school.

• May 2002 - The second public information meeting was held at Kyrene Monte Vista School.  Modifications to the bridge alignment and the project art concept were presented.

• September 2002 - The final bridge design plans were submitted to the city of Phoenix.

• March 2003 - The city of Phoenix selected the contractor, Stronghold Contracting, Inc.  The contract included construction of the bridge deck; cage fabrication (manufactured in Coolidge, AZ, delivered in seven sections and assembled on site); bridge ramps; stairs; railing; and related landscaping.

• Late May 2003 - Construction began.

• Jan. 29, 2004 - Dedication of the new KyreneMonteVistaPedestrianBridge.

 

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