George S Eccles 2002 Legacy Bridge

 The George S Eccles 2002 Legacy Bridge is a pedestrian suspension bridge located on the University of Utah campus. It is a pretty neat bridge with decent views of the campus and mountains. It is only the 3rd suspension bridge I have found in the valley (and oddly enough, the oldest one, but I just discovered it). From what I can tell it was built for the 2002 Winter Olympics. It is in a very busy part of campus so it was obviously a good investment to put in there.

Quick Details:

Length: It is about 300 feet long, plus however far away you park.
Trail Type: Out and back, connector.
Difficulty: DR2. It is paved and easy, and there is an elevator to bypass the stairs.
Elevation Gain: NA
Restroom: No
Dogs? I imagine public sidewalk leash laws would apply, but I don't know if the U has additional rules.
Other Info: The closest place to park charges on weekdays but not on weekends. Also, this is accessible via Trax.

To Get Here:

Take exit 1 from i215 for Foothill Dr. Continue onto UT-186/Foothill Dr for about 3.4 miles. Turn right onto Mario Capecchi Dr. About 0.6 miles turn left onto S Wasatch Dr. Go about 0.3 miles, at the traffic circle, take the 3rd exit and stay on S Wasatch Dr (which is effective flipping a U-ey). Go about 0.3 miles a turn right onto Student Life Way/E Student Life Wy. Take the first left into the George S Eccles Student Life Center. Note: They charge for parking on weekdays.

Or if coming from the north, Take 5th South east. Just as it curves to the right and becomes Foothill BLVD, turn left onto Mario Capecchi Dr. Follow the rest of the directions the same.

Or, just take the Trax Red Line to the Fort Douglas Station.

The Trail:

First glimpse of it (Passenger Seat Photography (PSP).

We parked at the George S Eccles Student Life Center. As I mentioned they do charge to park there on weekdays, but not weekends.

The U campus is a hilly area so the west end of the bridge is raised 2 or 3 stories. There are stairs, and an elevator if needed.

The stairs.

The bridge from the first landing.

The entire span from the top. Wow, it is a pretty neat bridge. Also, as you can see there is a bike lane to the left, pedestrians to the right.

The bridge is pretty busy so eventually I just accepted that I might get people in my shots. Hopefully I did not get any too close up shots and of anybody.

I couldn’t find a lot of information on it other than it was completed in 2001.I measured it to be about 300 feet long on google maps. Not sure how tall it is. 

Also, for a suspension bridge it is quite sturdy! I guess having a cement base helps with that. I can't imagine what it would take to bounce or sway. So, it doesn't trigger my fear of heights at all.

This bridge is a little more unique in that it has a central support beam that holds up the cables versus the more standard opposing support beams.

The cables are pretty darn thick!

Mario Capecchi Dr. and the Trax station underneath.

The top with the cables.

The main support structure.

The bridge.

Directly underneath the main support.

Nearing the end.

It ends at this little plaza.

University of Utah Fort Douglas Heritage Foundation - The Walkway - “Connecting the past, present, and future.”

Not sure if “The Walkway” refers to the bridge, or this entire path. Also, I guess this part of campus used to be Fort Douglas. Some of the original buildings remain and have been repurposed. Neat.

A couple of the old buildings and a random U of U trailer.

Pretty magenta tree.

The bridge from the other side.

Of the three suspension bridges I have now found in the valley, this one is more unique, but my least favorite. The other 2 are Bear Canyon Suspension Bridge and a the Jordan River Bridge near 3300 South.

The main support again.

The bridge.

Again.

Again.

Helicopter coming in. We think it might have been life flight which means someone is not having a good day.

Some of the other buildings on campus.

Coming in for a landing.

The bridge again.

Again.

Trax going by.

The bridge again.

Again.

The elevator on the west end.

One last look before we head down.

“Go For The Gold” Sculpted by Jonathan Bronson and donated by Robert L. Rice and Kenneth O. Melby. A fun little sculpture from the 2002 Olympics. I swear there are little pieces from the Olympics all over the valley!

The elevator again.

From the side.

Closer to the name on it.

So who is George S Eccles, and why is his name attached to a lot of stuff in Utah? He and his wife co founded the George S and Dolores Dore Eccles Foundation which is a non-profit foundation located in Salt Lake City, Utah that gives grants for projects and programs throughout Utah in the following areas: arts and culture, community, education, health care, and preservation and conservation.

Another helicopter (PSP).

The University of Utah Block U (PSP).

That was fun! I love me a good bridge, and particularly a good suspension bridge! I wish we had more in the valley than the 3 that I have found. However there might be more that I have yet to discover. It was a very busy little bridge, even on a Sunday. Which shows that it is very useful, but a little frustrating to try to get pictures of it, but meh. For a quick little adventure to see a neat feat of architecture it was cool. 9 out of 10 squirrels.

As for difficulty, its super short, mostly flat with an elevator option to bypass the stairs. DR2.

I imagine dogs are allowed, leashed as per general SLC public leash laws. I am not sure if the U has any additional rules about that though.