A celebratory bridge connects the Greenway and 1.5 mile loop in Paducah

McCracken County and the City of Paducah are holding a ribbon cutting celebration on September 11 at 11 a.m. for the Bob Leeper Pedestrian Bridge.  Attendees are asked to park on the Stuart Nelson Park side of the bridge near the ball fields, wear facial coverings, and maintain social distancing during the celebration.   

Over the past several weeks, Lexington-based Adams Contracting has been working to set in place the 110-foot long pedestrian bridge over Perkins Creek.  This bridge connects the more than five miles of the City’s Greenway Trail to McCracken County’s 1.5-mile trail loop.  The bridge and trail approach follow an abandoned rail bed of the Chicago, St. Louis, and New Orleans Railroad Company.

The bridge is named in honor of former McCracken County Judge-Executive Bob Leeper who worked to coordinate the public-private partnership for this bridge.  The bridge honors Leeper’s three decades of community service as Judge-Executive, Kentucky State Senator, and City Commissioner.

The partners who joined together to fund this parks asset are as follows:

• Federal Highway Administration Recreation Trails Grant
• Boyles Estate Community Foundation
• Four Rivers Nuclear Partnership
• McCracken County
• City of Paducah
• Geosyntec Consultants
• Veolia Nuclear Solutions Federal Services

The bridge is open for the public’s use.