Wildlife Land Bridge Saves Creatures' Lives, And People's Time

SAN ANTONIO, TX — The largest wildlife land bridge in the United States can be used by people, too.

The Robert L.B. Tobin Land Bridge that was unveiled a week ago at the Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy in San Antonio allows creatures like coyotes, raccoons and deer to roam free from the human vehicle traffic that puts them in danger along the six-lane Wurzbach Parkway below.

The land bridge, a 150-foot wide open space that sits 25 feet over the parkway, has been in the works for a decade, according to a KSAT-San Antonio report. It's the brainchild of a group led by former San Antonio Mayor Phil Hardberger, whom the park where the new bridge was made is named for.

"There's no other bridge in the United States that looks like this one does," Hardberger said in a video on the bridge's construction.

Hardberger, the city's mayor from 2005 to 2009, told KSAT that officials knew construction of the parkway, which disconnected one side of the park from the other, would be "unsatisfactory."

"But we knew we also could fix it and have a style bridge like no one else would really have in the United States," the 86-year-old former mayor said.

The size of the bridge is designed to accommodate both people and animals, the HuffPost and others have reported.

Hardberger told KSAT the words "unity, understanding and caring" came to mind when thinking of the bridge, and what it sets out to accomplish: saving animals' lives and giving people a chance to get to the other side of the park without having to drive.

“I like all of those words that describe a bridge because it helps unite San Antonio, this is a common gathering place,” the former mayor said.

Wildlife crossings have become more and more common as an "effective solution" to the 21 threatened and endangered species that face extinction partly because of traffic accidents, according to EcoWatch — a website that reports environmental news "for a healthier planet and life."

Construction crews have said some animals have already begun crossing the bridge, KSAT reported. An elevated walkway is expected to be opened by the end of the month.

"The bridge is an amazing achievement,” current San Antonio Mayor Ron Nirenberg said in a statement.

"It connects people with nature in the heart of San Antonio. I look forward to watching the landscape grow and mature with native trees and plants and observing wildlife through viewing blinds designed by local artists."

Watch: How It Came Together

If You Go

The bridge has given the Phil Hardberger Park Conservancy more than seven miles of connected trail, according to the park's website. It's a little more than half a mile from both major parking areas to the land bridge. The land bridge trail from the Savanna Loop to the Water Loop is a quarter of a mile long.

Parking: Available at 8400 NW Military Highway, 13203 Blanco Road and 1201 Voelcker Lane in San Antonio.