Delays Plague Cary Pedestrian Bridge

The bridge was meant to connect Cary's established trail system to the north and the developing trail system to the south. But greenway trails leading to the bridge still aren't finished, so the bridge hasn't opened yet.

Cary parks officials said the bridge should be ready by mid-summer. They blamed the delay on the U.S. 1 widening project.

"The road project has taken a little bit longer, and the bridge portion of the project, including the ramps, are all part of the (state Department of Transportation) project. So, we had to wait until that portion was finished for us to do the linking trails," said Doug McRainey, Cary's park planning manager.

DOT engineers said the U.S. 1 project was slowed by bad weather and utility troubles.

Trail users said, whatever the reason for the delay, they just want the bridge open.

"Right now, we're just waiting," local mother Carolyn Mundorf said. "Summer's coming and the kids will be out of school, and we'd really like to get over to the Kids Together Park. It would be a lot easier if we could use the bridge."

The main traffic on the bridge and trails is heavy equipment, and Cary officials asked residents to stay off the bridge until it's finished.