Ground has been broken on a project aimed at connecting museums, parks, and trails in Jackson.
Federal, state, and city officials, along with other local leaders gathered in the LeFleur’s Bluff area of Jackson on Wednesday to break ground on a multi-million-dollar pedestrian bridge. The bridge will overlook the busy and well-traveled Lakeland Drive and will connect the Mississippi Sports Hall of Fame and Ag Museum with the Mississippi Children’s Museum and the Museum of Natural Science.
Officials said the overarching goal is to link the museums with related facilities in the city’s downtown region and even Jackson State University through Museum Trail. It will also allow foot travelers and bicyclists alike easier access to the Sports Hall of Fame and Ag Museum, venues where people typically travel by vehicle due to the difficulty of navigating Lakeland Drive when not in an automobile.
The bridge began as a federal grant awarded in 2021 and is designed as one piece of a larger, multi-county trail system planned over time. It’s also the first major construction project undertaken by the newly formed LeFleur’s Bluff Conservancy. Officials added that this project is a partnership between the Mississippi Department of Transportation, the city of Jackson, and the LeFleur’s Bluff Conservancy.
“Jackson has tremendous promise,” Great City Mississippi Foundation and LeFleur’s Bluff Conservancy board member Pryor Lampton said. “We want young people to come home, build their lives here, raise their families here, and feel proud of this city. A great city deserves a great urban park.”
No specific timeline has been given for the bridge’s expected completion.