The pedestrian bridge connecting Bayfront Park and Hauke Park was closed on Friday, September 13 due to an unsafe support pier, according to the City of Mill Valley. The bridge stretches over the nearby wetlands and allows pedestrians and cyclists to access both parks, which host sports practices and games on a daily basis. Many students at Mill Valley Middle School and Tam use this bridge to commute to school or sports practice. After the bridge was deemed unsafe to cross, a barrier was put up to prevent pedestrians from using the bridge. As a result, those who need to cross the wetlands have been advised to use Roque Moraes and Hamilton Drive to bypass the bridge. 

Sophomore Ari Katz crosses the bridge every morning in order to get to school. On a normal morning, it takes Katz ten minutes to walk to school, but going around the bridge, it takes 35 minutes, according to Katz.

Immediately following the shut-down, Mill Valley Public Works director Andrew Poster made the bridge repair a priority. The public works staff contacted various agencies to obtain construction permits and received advice from structural engineers on how to repair the damaged pier. The repair is expected to take 5-7 weeks once permits are approved. However, due to the sensitive environment of the wetlands, if construction is not finished by November 30, the project will be delayed until September 2020. 

“We recognize the importance of moving quickly to make the repairs and are aggressively moving the project forward to meet this deadline,” the City of Mill Valley wrote in an update.