Bridging differences

Since volunteering to help with the historic White River Bridge at Clarendon bridge-save project, I’ve had great interest in hiking bridges. Needless to say, I’ve been eagerly anticipating the Harahan Bridge festivities at West Memphis for months. I was privileged to get a glimpse of the Harahan even before the Virginia creeper had been cleared away. I couldn’t wait to see it upon completion—to actually walk across the Mighty Mississippi. What a feat by the visionaries who crafted such a brilliant adventure—an adventure for all.

Arkansas dignitaries at the Harahan grand opening were equally stoked and praised trail development in Central and Eastern Arkansas, from the Big Dam Bridge at Little Rock to the Mississippi River Trail destined to link Memphis, Helena, and even little old Arkansas City in the future. Trails bring lifetime hobbies, a healthier citizenry, and much-needed economic benefits to any area where they’re developed. Trails are also a “bridge” between people, engendering symbiotic connections on many levels. The vision of the Harahan will bolster greater opportunity for Memphis while developing West Memphis as a destination city in tandem.

Thank you, Harahan visionaries, and a hearty congratulations! Your day was perfect, and your future is bright. And I’m yet again hopeful of saving the White River Bridge at Clarendon and someday hiking through the treetops of the Big Woods of Arkansas—another adventure, not only for Eastern Arkansas, but for the whole wide world. SARAH MOORE

Roe