The University of Utah has an impressive souvenir of the Olympics that will also give students a safe way to cross the street.
University officials and donors dedicated the George S. Eccles 2002 Legacy Bridge Wednesday afternoon. It will be a lasting reminder of the Winter Games, U. President J. Bernard Machen said.
The primary reason for the bridge is safety for the students and the Olympic visitors, Machen said. The impressive bridge spans six busy lanes of traffic on Wasatch Drive and allows pedestrian and bicycle traffic safe passage to and from the upper and lower campuses.
"This bridge is not a luxury," Machen said.
Mitt Romney said that before the bridge went up, he thought crossing Wasatch Drive could be the first Olympic event: "Athlete slalom."
The second reason for the bridge is to encourage alternative transportation, Machen said. He announced that there will be a TRAX station on the west side of the bridge.
At the west end of the bridge is a statue of a skier with the Olympic snowflake behind it and the Olympic rings in front. The sculpture was designed by artist Jonathan Bronson and donated by Robert L. Rice and Kenneth O. Melby.
The George S. and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation donated $2 million of the bridge's $5 million cost. Machen said construction would not have been possible without the foundation's help.
The foundation also donated $10 million toward expansion of the Rice-Eccles Stadium and another $8 million toward the Olympics' opening and closing ceremonies to be held in the stadium.
E-mail: ajacobs@desnews.com