Photos courtesy Big River Crossing
Big River Crossing will celebrate its first birthday in less than two weeks with a first-of-its-kind foot race here that will span two states.
The bicycle and pedestrian span across the Harrahan Bridge opened Saturday, Oct. 22, 2016, to much fanfare. Officials began working on the project back in 2014 and secured $17.5 million for the bridge alone but $43 million in total for a larger, 10-mile project that connected Downtown Memphis with West Memphis, Ark.
During the opening celebration, politicians and government officials proclaimed the project was a success, even before it opened to the public. And they weren’t wrong.
Since it opened, 239,028 people have streamed across the roughly one-mile foot bridge (as of October 10th). Of those, 85 percent were pedestrians and 15 percent rode across on bikes.
Here’s how I described traversing the span for the Memphis Flyer:
“(Big River Crossing) ain't no museum piece. Walking it is a journey in the elements. You feel the steady breeze on your face, see the river flowing silently many stories below your feet, and feel the vibrations of the car and train traffic passing on the nearby bridges.
A lookout is notched out about halfway across the span (it's disputed whether or not this is the Tennessee/Arkansas border) — the Memphis skyline on one side and the endless, green Arkansas floodplain on the other. At best, it'll inspire an awe of our area's natural beauty and geography. At least, it'll be the most selfied spot in Shelby County.”
To celebrate its first year, officials are hosting the Big River Crossing Half Marathon + 5K. The half marathon will take runners from the foot of Beale Street on Riverside Drive, through South Main, across the river on Big River Crossing, through through the Big River Trail on the Arkansas flood plain, along Dacus Lake, and then back over the bridge to Tom Lee Park.
Route map
Not a long distance runner? No problem. The event also includes a 5K through Downtown and Tom Lee Park with views of Big River Crossing and the Mississippi River.
For more information on the race or to register, visit the race website. Or, check it out on Facebook.
