As Bicentennial Bridge nears completion, work to carve out park begins

Julie Smith/News Tribune
During a tour of Adrian's Island, City Engineer David Bange talks about placement of items situated around the park, including where the pavers are to go. As part of ongoing fundraising for the project, inscribed pavers will be sold and placed around the walking trails to be constructed.
Julie Smith/News Tribune During a tour of Adrian's Island, City Engineer David Bange talks about placement of items situated around the park, including where the pavers are to go. As part of ongoing fundraising for the project, inscribed pavers will be sold and placed around the walking trails to be constructed.

For generations, many Jefferson City residents have dreamed of a time when the Capital City could be reconnected with its neighbor, the Missouri River.

The dream is beginning to come into focus as the bridge connecting the city to the 30 acres of wetlands and forest dubbed Adrian's Island is nearing completion.

Among those who had been dreaming about a bridge to Adrian's Island for more than 40 years was the late BJ DeLong, whose family made the largest contribution to the projected and spearheaded getting it started.

The Bicentennial Bridge itself is a $4.9 million project, funded by public and private monies. The 826-foot bridge begins near the Senate parking garage on the north side of the Capitol, spans the Union Pacific Railroad tracks and lands on the island.

When the bridge is completed around Thanksgiving, those crossing the bridge will find two divergent paths: one that allows its visitors to congregate and enjoy the river view and one that will allow hikers to explore its trails and perhaps catch glimpses of its furry inhabitants.

City staff offered a glimpse Wednesday of what that excursion might look like.

Coming off the bridge, you'll land in the center of almost a figure eight, created by the edges of concrete paths. Walking across a patio of bricks, carved with the names of donors, you'll come to your first ringed path.

It meanders a bit and wraps back under the bridge. Take a left, and you'll head toward the river viewing area, which will feature short walls where you could sit and watch the Missouri River.

Walk a bit farther down the path and you'll find a hammock garden. The gravel area will feature several hammocks where people can relax and enjoy the river and passing clouds.

Traveling a right down the path will take you to the restroom or a life-sized chess board.

The board, which features images of Missourians and Missouri landmarks along its border, is a project being undertaken by Eagle Scouts. Andew Dowden, of Troop 6 at Immaculate Conception. It is designed to recognize Missouri's bicentennial anniversary.

Maya Thomas, of Troop 242 in Columbia, will build benches or seats for the game, which will be constructed of concrete and 200-year-old Missouri oak wood.

Jumping onto the second circle of the path, you'll find remnants from repairs to the Missouri state Capitol. The remnants are a mixture of rectangular blocks and pieces of columns. They're supposed to be decorative with plants growing around them. The second path encircles you to a mostly open field with a pavilion nestled in the back of it.

The approximately 30-by-40-foot open air pavilion will include picnic tables for groups to sit at for lunch or other activities.

Just off the tree line behind the pavilion, the concrete turns into gravel for those who want to venture more deeply into nature.

From there, you'll find trees and plants native to Missouri. Hidden among the trees is a small creek near the train tracks. For those with a keen eye, you'll see signs of beavers who call the area home. Keep an eye peeled for a beaver dam or the gnaw marks on trees from which the beavers have been feasting.

Looking up from the base of one of the larger trees in that area, you'll catch a glimpse of a bald eagle's nest. And while walking, you might even hear the rustle of leaves and underbrush made by the island's other inhabitants, which include deer, river otters, raccoon, bats and snakes.

Beyond those sounds of nature, you'll hear the crews working to make those generational dreams a reality.

This week, Phillips Hardy crews poured the first section of concrete for the park's walking paths.

Stakes with pink flags are scattered around the island, marking out where the paths will go, as well as the corners of the pavilion and the chess board.

The pavilion and bathroom projects are in the bidding process.

The first order of 35 pavers for the patio at the base of the bridge was placed this week; a second order for bricks is being gathered.

Those interested in purchasing a brick can do so through the Parks Foundation; more information can be found at jcparks.com/parks-foundation. The bricks cost $250-$1,000 depending upon the size of the brick. The deadline for the second batch of bricks is Friday.

"That will give us an opportunity to get them made and installed by the time that we have the ribbon cutting," Bange said.

Work is also underway to thin some of the vegetation so paths can be lined with gravel for the wooded trail.

"This is just so mysterious," Mayor Carrie Tergin said while walking on the island Wednesday. "This is such an unknown place. There's so many times that people would say, 'Where is it?'

"It's something that we talked about for so long. But it's not until now that we actually started building the bridge to get there that people actually started saying, 'Where's this Adrian's Island that we've all heard about?'"

City Engineer David Bange said he's excited at the potential the project offers.

"The potential for people to sort of connect with nature," he said. "For a kid who has been in Jefferson City their whole life, the chance of walking down here and seeing an actual beaver dam three minutes from the Capitol it's kind of cool."