![\"Georgia](\"https:\/\/sduptownnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/07\/Georgia-Street-Bridge-1949-courtesy-of-North-Park-Historical-Societywebtop.jpg\")
<\/a>The new bridge was an instant classic with its elegant Roman arches, a theme echoed on the massive retaining walls on both sides of University Avenue, below the bridge.<\/p>\n
Vicki Granowitz, chair of the North Park Planning Committee, described the bridge\u2019s style as Mission Revival and said Comly designed it to complement the theme of the 1915-16 Panama-California Exposition at nearby Balboa Park.<\/p>\n
At the public ceremony on July 19 to mark the start of construction, Granowitz read a prepared statement documenting the history of the 102-year-old bridge and the herculean community effort it took to preserve it from the wrecking ball.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is more a gateway than a bridge,\u201d Granowitz said. \u201cIt is an entrance to historical North Park.\u201d<\/p>\n
For more than a century, the Georgia Street Bridge has been a very visible landmark for residents of North Park as well as Hillcrest. But for decades, the bridge was neglected even though major repairs were needed. Then Caltrans wanted to demolish the old bridge, prompting community activists and local politicians to forge a coalition, first to get the bridge declared historic and then to muster up the money to restore the structure to its original beauty.<\/p>\n District 3 Councilmember Todd Gloria played emcee at the July 19 ceremony, which was conducted on the bridge\u2019s north side.<\/p>\n The year-long project will result in the historical structure getting a complete seismic retrofit and rehabilitation. Gloria said the $14 million budget included $2 million from the local Transnet fund with the remaining $12 million from Federal Highway Administration grants.<\/p>\n \u201cI am so proud the city of San Diego can finally begin work to repair and restore the historic Georgia Street Bridge, an iconic piece of infrastructure which has connected the communities of Hillcrest and North Park for over a century,\u201d Gloria said in a statement issued after the ceremony. \u201cCollaboration across various government agencies has allowed the city of San Diego to secure vital funding to preserve a treasured San Diego landmark.\u201d<\/p>\n The project will disrupt traffic for motorists and pedestrians on University Avenue and cause detours around the construction site between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m., officials said. \u201cIt will be worth the wait,\u201d Gloria said.<\/p>\n Caltrans classified the Georgia Street Bridge as \u201cstructurally deficient\u201d in assessments made in 2011 and 2014, Gloria said.<\/p>\n California Assembly Speaker Emeritus Toni G. Atkins recalled how she was just a \u201clittle staff member\u201d to Councilmember Christine Kehoe in the 1990s when community leaders began rallying support to save the bridge from demolition. Atkins remembered an unnamed city engineer \u2014 \u201cno one who is here today,\u201d she said, eliciting laughs \u2014 told her that he would be around long after she was gone from the political scene and the bridge had been torn down.<\/p>\n Atkins remembered some of the ridiculous hurdles that had to be jumped over to get the bridge declared historic, including having to prove that the retaining walls, with their Roman arches, were part of the bridge.<\/p>\n Atkins is still around, unlike that unnamed city engineer. She replaced Kehoe on the City Council after Kehoe was elected to the Assembly, and then replaced Kehoe in the Assembly after Kehoe was elected to the state Senate. Atkins is heavily favored to be elected to the state Senate in November.<\/p>\n The Speaker Emeritus saluted Kehoe and other community leaders, including some people now deceased, who believed in preserving our local history.<\/p>\n \u201cThis project is proof that our stewardship can outlive us individually,\u201d Atkins said in honoring the visionaries who are no longer with us, mentioning Joe Schloss and Don and Karon Covington, among them.<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a>