Dallas residents found a vehicle in a rather peculiar spot after a local driver mistakenly turned onto a pedestrian bridge that had opened to the public this week.
The Texas Department of Transportation announced that it had opened the Northaven Trail pedestrian bridge over U.S. 75 on November 13. The bridge was designed to provide safety to pedestrians while connecting the Northaven Trail, the Cottonwood Creek Trail, and the White Rock Creek Trail, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The bridge was opened prior to a ribbon-cutting ceremony that will be hosted by Friends of Northaven Trail on December 2.
One driver, however, appeared to have confused the bridge for a road.
A local news outlet witnessed first-hand how confusing the pedestrian bridge can be to some motorists. A WFAA reporter was on-site, preparing to explain the setup of the bridge’s entryway, when he caught sight of a vehicle mistakenly driving onto the bridge instead of nearby Northaven Road. The driver quickly realized the mistake and promptly returned to the correct road, per WFAA.
Certain features of the bridge and its proximity to other roads make the confusion understandable. Not only is the bridge wide enough for a vehicle to travel upon, complete with divided lanes, but its entrance runs parallel to Northaven Road.
Drivers traveling eastbound on Northaven are forced to stay on the road or accidentally drive onto the pedestrian bridge despite signs and the middle divider separating the roads.
TxDOT told WFAA they are working with the City to “install temporary barriers at both ends of the project to complement the bollards where the bridge begins.”
