Today, in this pedestrian-rich urban context, a prominent yet rapidly decaying fifty-one year old fragment of the Eisenhower administration’s legacy no longer reflects the aspirations of this community. Inspired by an ill-advised simple bridge replacement proposal, a community driven architectural competition suggested a variety of inspired alternative futures.

As part of a proposal to revitalize the east end of Charlottesville’s successful Downtown Mall, a new pedestrian bridge and underpass were proposed to replace a decaying highway overpass. A new cable-stayed pedestrian bridge enters the act as a visual counterpoint to the dominant form of an adjacent Pavilion. Lightweight, tensile, pedestrian-friendly succeeds heavy, compressive, decaying “vehicle-centrism” in the next millennium.