The BNC is committed to keeping Beltrami safe for our residents. Over the past year, many community members have brought us their concerns about the Spring Street viaduct. This viaduct connects the 600 block of Polk Street NE to Harrison Street NE. The road underneath is consistently bumpy and dangerous for both cars and bike riders, and many pedestrians have stated that the lighting is inadequate and that they feel unsafe while walking through the tunnel at all times of the day. Many long-time residents have also expressed that the viaduct has generally remained in it’s current, dilapidated state for many years. After reaching out to several City entities to see if fixes can be made, the BNC has seen little progress in this area.
In order to push for fixes, the BNC has begun a public campaign to revitalize this area. We are currently in the first stage: Public engagement. Many of you, 82 of you specifically, have taken our survey about this area. The first round of data will be sent to the City and railroad soon. The findings will also be shared publicly. The BNC plans to keep the survey open through the end of the summer. Any additional surveys collected in this time will be added to an updated survey analysis in September.
Our goals: Using the survey data, we hope that the City will make lasting improvements to the road and lighting. We also will be exploring ways to assess the structural integrity of the bridge so that we can push for improvements to crumbling concrete, exposed rebar, and other structural issues that could be a safety hazard to the neighborhood.
How you can help: Take our survey! The more responses we have, the stronger our argument for repairs. You do not need to be a Beltrami resident to take this survey! If you have family or friends who visit frequently, or know someone who drives/bikes/walks under this bridge on a regular basis, share the survey with them.
Survey link: https://goo.gl/forms/FPNGXs1vnSwLN8Yk1
Our Housing and Livability Committee is the main entity within the BNC working on this project. If you’d like to get involved by attending those meetings, the committee meets every fourth Monday from 6:30 – 8:30 at the Beltrami Park building.
Finally, you can stay updated on the project by signing up for our email newsletter. Just type your email in the box on the right-hand side of this page and click “Subscribe”.
