The city of Franklin is reviewing applications from seven New Hampshire engineering firms to design a walkway on its iconic Trestle Bridge over the Winnipesaukee River.
Franklin city planner Dick Lewis said the deadline for firms to submit applications ended earlier this month, and that the city is in the process of scheduling interviews with top candidates next week.
“Hopefully, by the end of that week we’ll have a decision, or we’ll make a shortlist for one more round of interviews,” Lewis said.
Engineering work is being funded by $512,000 the city netted from the state Department of Transportation’s Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) in January, along with $128,000 from other donors, including Mill City Park, the non-profit organization looking to build a whitewater park in Franklin.
The walkway fits into a broader master plan for Mill City Park. It will connect the 11-acre Mill City Park – a land park proposed to accompany the city’s whitewater project – with the existing Winnipesaukee River Trail on the other side of the river. That way, pedestrians can navigate both sides of the river with ease.
Downriver from the walkway will be a novice to intermediate freestyle kayaking hole, as well as the stadium seating near Trestle View Park and a river-level walking path.
Mill City Park will house a community garden, pavilion, two public bathrooms, picnic areas, educational areas, hiking trails, a parking area, a climbing wall and a mountain bike pump track system, according to concept plans.
Lewis said it’s too early to say what the design of the walkway will look like.
“Because the walkway is in the historic district, we want to design it to take much of the historical components of the bridge into account as much as possible,” he said.
The bridge, which used to be part of a railroad track that ran to Tilton, is more than 100 years old.