Back 40’s bluff bridge
Wooden span wraps around cliff visible from U.S. 71
Through a narrow gap in the trees alongside the intersection of U.S. Highway 71 and Trafalgar Road, motorists can catch a glimpse of the newest development in Bella Vista’s Back 40 trail system — a wide, wooden bridge hugging the bluff.
“There’s not that many areas where we can showcase our trails,” said Erin Rushing, director of Northwest Arkansas Trailblazers. “This is one of those areas.”
This new wooden bridge has been built curving along the bluff line, he said. That location was chosen after weighing a handful of options for where the trail could go.
“We couldn’t put it continuously through that ledge rock,” he said.
Riding atop the bluff would be far too dangerous, he said, and riding alongside the highway wouldn’t be much better. A bridge with handrails seemed like the best approach.
The bridge’s construction is mostly complete, Rushing said, but it isn’t actually open yet. He estimated opening will take another two weeks of safety inspection and testing.
Cassi Lapp, communications
manager for the city of Bella Vista, said the bridge was built by York Bridge Concepts, a Florida-based firm.
“It’s definitely going to be one of the features that sets these trails apart,” she said.
The section of trail that it’s on is one of the first few trails that were cut, she said, and it’s been widened some while the bridge has been going up.
Phil Penny, director of trails with Crossland Construction, one of several firms that has worked on the Back 40 trail system said Crossland has built roughly 15 miles of the trail system.
Penny said he helped build the trails surrounding the bridge, and he’s excited about the new feature.
“I think it turned out really nice,” he said. “It seems like it’s one of the nicer bridges we’ve been able to put in in our time in trail building. It’s been a great experience working with the city.”
The highway visibility, Penny said, wasn’t entirely intentional. The site that would eventually host this new bridge was just sort of discovered when teams were scouting the trails to begin with, and a bridge seemed like the best solution.
“It turned out to be a good thing, because it has drawn interest to the trail system,” he said.
Penny said that he raced cross country on mountain bikes for 14 years, but between raising a family, volunteer work and his current job, he’s no longer riding competitively.
“I still ride,” he said, “I just don’t race. It takes a lot of time to race at that level.”
But while Penny may still be a skilled rider, he said, this particular feature isn’t just for veterans of the sport like himself. The bridge can easily accommodate riders of any level, plus hikers and whoever else may want to take a look from it.
“It’s not just for your elite rider,” he said. “Everybody should be able to take their kids through there — it’s nice and wide and safe.”