Clarksville Greenway Bridge

In 2010, Dowdle Construction Group built a connector bridge for the Clarksville Greenway, partnering with the City of Clarksville and Michael Kahnle Landscape Architect. It was a competitive design-build project that we were able to secure with a detailed proposal.

The second phase of the Red River Trail East project, the bridge provided the final connecting link between the Clarksville Riverwalk and the Clarksville Greenway, creating an approximately 9-mile uninterrupted pedestrian and bike route along the Red River and West Fork Creek. It involved construction of a 315-foot long, 10-foot wide bridge that crosses about 90 feet above the ravine below. 

The bridge design includes custom arched panels with four trellises and stone abutments. The railing system is made up of quarter-inch twisted galvanized cables, and the floor is a railroad track design with cross ties. While the bridge was designed for pedestrian use, it can also withstand emergency vehicles.

The Clarksville Greenway Bridge was built at the site of a former railroad trestle bridge in conjunction with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, which is working to transform abandoned railroad crossings and river corridors across the nation into walking and biking trails and public spaces. The initiative garnered a lot of attention and support in the Clarksville community for its adaptive reuse approach and environmental stewardship.