FOLEY, Ala. — The city of Foley is a little closer to having a pedestrian bridge.

During Monday’s City Council work session, representatives of Volkert presented city leaders with the latest options for the structure.

City Administrator Mike Thompson explained that because the bridge would be located in the Foley’s Historic Downtown area, its plans were presented to the State Historic Board.

“They were concerned about the line of sight issues,” he told the Council.

The focus of that concern centered around Jessamine Avenue. With that in mind, Volkert representatives presented several options for the bridge’s location. They included lining the structure up with Jessamine and the fountain at Heritage Park. However, city leaders discussed, that would reduce the width between the street and fountain to five feet.

Location options presented varied traffic flow onto Jessamine, as well as to moving the bridge further north.

“The worst thing would be if we put it too far north and nobody uses it,” Councilman Ralph Hellmich said.

During that meeting, Council members agreed that the bridge should not contain a roof. They also discussed softening the previously presented plan to reflect the city’s existing downtown structure, as well as its railroad heritage.

In addition, Volkert representatives displayed several ideas for the location of the bridge and its effect on traffic in the downtown area. Other points discussed included:

• The width of the bridge’s walkway will be 12 feet.
• The bridge will include an elevator.
• The structure will include an observation tower.
• Council members agreed that they would prefer the stairwell is not enclosed.

The final draft of the bridge is expected to be presented to the Council in the coming weeks.