Big Dam Bridge

Pulaski County Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge
Pulaski County Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge
	; The Big Dam Bridge as seen from the Arkansas River Trail in Little Rock
Official name	Pulaski County Pedestrian and Bicycle Bridge
Other name(s)	Big Dam Bridge
Carries	Pedestrians and bicycles
Crosses	Arkansas River
Locale	Little Rock, Arkansas; North Little Rock, Arkansas
Total length	4,226 feet (1,288 m)
Width	14 feet (4 m)
Opened	September 30, 2006
Coordinates	Coordinates: 34°47′38″N 92°21′29″W / 34.793911°N 92.358069°W

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Originally intended to be called Murray Bridge, the Big Dam Bridge is the longest pedestrian bridge to span the Arkansas River between Little Rock and North Little Rock, Arkansas over the Murray Lock and Dam, and is open only to pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The bridge is also the longest pedestrian/bicycle bridge in North America that has never been used by cars or trucks. At 4,226 feet (1288 m.) in length, the Big Dam Bridge rises to 90 feet (27 m) over the surface of the Arkansas River and 30 feet (9.1 m) over the dam. The span over the river is 3,463 feet (1055 m.), with the ramps on either side of the river accounting for the rest of the length. The southern end of the bridge is near Little Rock's Murray Park, while the northern end is at Cook's Landing Park in North Little Rock.

The nickname was given by Pulaski County Judge F.G. “Buddy” Villines, who was concerned about the financing needed and was quoted to say, "We're going to build that dam bridge." (He insisted he was referring to its location on a dam, and was not using the mild expletive.) The total construction cost was $12.8 million.

The opening ceremony was on Saturday, September 30, 2006. Local politicians boasted the Big Dam Bridge will boost the local economy and also contribute to the local health of the population. The bridge and adjacent parks are used for several races including the Big Dam Bridge 100 cycling tour, the BDB Twilight 5k race, and the BDB Duathlon.

The Federal Highway Administration gave one of its first Exemplary Human Environment Initiative awards to the bridge, and Illuminating Engineer Society gave its Award of Merit at the international level to the bridge's LED lighting design.