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Posted: 2:19 PM- When it comes to milestones, this was a history-maker for Salt Lake County's cycling community.
Dozens of celebrants crossed the interstate on foot, on bicycle and even on training wheels Friday to mark the completion of a $3.5 million bridge over I-215, near the mouth of Parleys Canyon.
The 140-foot steel-truss structure has overcome one of the most ominous obstructions for cyclists - a six-lane freeway -- between the Bonneville Shoreline Trail on the valley's east bench and the Jordan River Parkway Trail to the west.
"It used to be a dream," Salt Lake County Mayor Peter Corroon said. "Now, it is becoming a reality."
With the snip of a bicycle-tube ribbon Friday, the Parley's Rails, Trails and Tunnels Coalition announced the opening of its first nonmotorized crossing over the east-side freeway.
"We did it!" exclaimed PRATT co-chairman Juan Arce-Larreta. "Finally."
The two-span bridge -- fashioned out of 94,000 pounds of steel and ornamental fence -- has consumed trails enthusiasts for years as they search for an east-west connection between the Jordan River and Salt Lake County's east bench.
Now those same enthusiasts are looking westward, saying one segment of trail inevitably will lead to another.
"This is the snowball at the top of the hill," Arce-Larreta said. "And it's going to keep rolling."
A parade of sixth-graders from Canyon Rim Academy led the inaugural procession across the bridge Friday with yellow flags fluttering overhead. Upon reaching the other side, the children sprinkled grass and wildflower seeds to green up soil disturbed by construction.
"If there is going to be a trail here, we might want to make it look nice," said 11-year-old Tanner Milam, dipping his fingers into a plastic bag for more seeds.
Then came bicyclists, including Jack Arce-Larreta, a helmet-wearing 3-year-old on training wheels.
"This is the dawn of a new day," said Rep. Jim Matheson, who joined the procession on foot.
This week's crossing of I-215 completes the so-called "Parley's Crossing" project, which sought to connect the north and south segments of the Bonneville Shoreline Trail to the Parleys Creek Trail.
The campaign's first success came in 1999, when trail supporters spanned Interstate 80 with two bicycle and pedestrian bridges.
Eight years later, that trail has begun its westward decent, stopping at Parley's Historic Nature Park. Within a year, officials hope to extend the path a little farther to Tanner Park near 2700 East.
Federal transportation dollars have provided most of the financial foot power behind construction. But officials also report a variety of state, county and city funding sources, as well as some private donations.
Dave Shields held his 3-year-old nephew Jack's handlebars as the two joined the bridge-crossing crowd. As an east-bencher and author of three books on cycling, he said the bridge will do wonders for the bicycling community.
At last, he said, cyclists won't have to wind through traffic to head west.
"Its been a long time in coming," he said. "Salt Lake really has proven itself as one of the most cycling-friendly [places] in the nation."
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