Council Approves Hospital Overpass for Pedestrians
The City Council has approved construction of a pedestrian walkway over La Veta Avenue that will link on-street parking with the main complex at St. Joseph Hospital.
The hospital hopes to begin construction of the overpass in late August and complete the structure in about five months. The work will be done at night and disruption to traffic should be minimal, said Dennis Sisto, vice president for support services at the hospital.
The walkway over the 90-foot-wide street will allow visitors to enter the hospital without negotiating traffic on La Veta.
In their vote Tuesday, council members also approved a provision prohibiting banners from being displayed on the overpass.
The city and the hospital had discussed banners reading “Welcome to St. Joseph” or “Welcome to Orange,” but the council rejected those ideas.
The overpass will stand 17 feet above La Veta Avenue at Pepper Street, according to the designs. The walkway will be enclosed with a roof and screened sides.
Visitors to the hospital will be able to take an elevator or stairs to the walkway from the intersection of Pepper and La Veta, reaching the hospital’s main complex without having to cross traffic on La Veta.
The city had made the overpass a condition of building the outpatient pavilion about two years ago, Sisto said.
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