Downtown San Diego will be more walkable than ever following completion of a pedestrian only bridge over Harbor Drive, the heavily traveled street that runs immediately in front of the Convention Center. The projected completion date is fall 2009.

The 500-foot curved span will traverse Harbor Drive near the intersection of Convention Center Way and Park Boulevard, just east of the Convention Center and adjacent to the new Hilton San Diego Bayfront Hotel, which is under construction and slated for completion in fall 2008.

The pedestrian bridge’s 16-foot-wide concrete deck will rise 25 feet above Harbor Drive, connecting to the Hilton Hotel’s free-standing, multi-level parking garage on the south side of the street and to a two-car glass elevator tower on the north side near PETCO Park, the San Diego Padres’ state-of-the-art ballpark. The hotel’s 2,000-space parking garage opened in 2005 and is jointly used by the Convention Center during major events. Landscaped plazas will be located on both the north and south side entrances to the bridge.

The bridge’s stunning elevated design will be both beautiful and functional, significantly enhancing pedestrian safety by allowing convention attendees to bypass street-level traffic signals and existing sets of train and trolley tracks. An at-grade crossing for pedestrians who prefer to remain at ground level will include pedestrian barriers and enhanced crossing technologies.