The DOT giveth, the DOT taketh away, and eventual giveth back.

Almost all my commute routes to work end at a short pedestrian bridge over Fountain Creek which deposits me on the sidewalk two doors down from my office. Aside from the week the bridge was closed last year for re-planking last year, I think in the three years at the new job I've not used the bridge four times. And when it was closed I had to cross busy 8th Street at the light, but then take cross back in front of the office, or go two blocks down to another light, and cross back.

But beginning Monday the bridge will be removed as part of a project to widen that portion of 8th Street; a project projected to take up to a year. The result will be a wider traffic bridge with an integral pedestrian/bike side path. I'm expecting this path to be wider than the outgoing bike/ped bridge. And this should fix the problem of the bridge ending at the end of a long exit driveway from a car wash where cars speed back to 8th Street and the view of ped/bikes exiting the bridge has been obscured by trees, bushes and the bridge railing and fencing itself.

I think I will cross 8th Street at the light, take the narrow bike lane or sidewalk down two blocks to the light and cross back. Leaving, I believe I should be able to stay on "my side" of the street and ride in the traffic lane for the half a block down to the trail. Traffic is usually stop and go in the afternoon anyway.
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This will be really inconvenient beyond biking as my job as a commercial producer at a television station has had me and my partner driving to location shoots and client meetings 2-3 times a week over the last year. ANd the poor reporters drive out at least once a day, and often more.

To add insult to injury, the new extension that finally connected the two MUPS I use very often now will be closed for improvements at a street crossing, although I think that is just for a couple of weeks, and it is needed.

Yesterday's ride to and from work (the last on the bridge) was along the Rock Island and Greenway Trails, with cool temps, beautiful scenery, minimal traffic interaction and a helpful tailwind on the way home!

You can see the bridge at :13 in on this video from 2 years ago: