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Groundbreaking for new pedestrian bridge set for Jan. 12 on Kilgore campus

Kilgore College will hold an official groundbreaking Thursday to celebrate the commencement of construction of a new pedestrian bridge over Highway 259 on the Kilgore campus.

The groundbreaking is set for 10 a.m. Thursday, Jan. 12, at the site of the old bridge.

Speakers at the event will include KC President Dr. Brenda Kays; Kilgore Mayor Pro Tem Harvey McClendon; and Gregg County Judge Bill Stoudt.

The bridge will be ADA compliant with elevators on both sides and will have a 19-foot, 6-inch clearance – as opposed to the previous bridge’s 16-foot clearance.

In September, the KC Board of Trustees awarded RLM General Contractors as the contractor to demolish what is left of the pedestrian bridge, and to build a new bridge.

The previous bridge was struck on Aug. 27, 2019, when a semi-truck hauling an over-sized load ran into the underside of the bridge.

Due to major structural damage, the bridge was deemed unsafe.

The demolition/construction of the new pedestrian bridge is expected to take nine months.

A 24-hour livestream of the bridge demolition and construction can be viewed during the duration of the project by visiting www.kilgore.edu/kc-bridge-cam.

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