If your dream is to walk from Maricopa’s Heritage District to Maricopa High School, there will soon be a shortcut to make that dream come true.

After years of planning, debate and ballooning cost estimates, Maricopa’s long-envisioned pedestrian bridge project recently broke ground. Crews were on scene today laying rebar for the elevator towers and pier foundations that will anchor the 244-foot structure that will connect the Heritage District, leapfrogging over the train tracks.

City spokeswoman Monica Williams said say the first major concrete pour for the pier is expected in the coming weeks, marking a tangible start to a project that has lingered in the conceptual stage for nearly a decade.

The bridge spans the Union Pacific Railroad tracks just west of the John Wayne Parkway overpass, next to the Amtrak Station. Construction will last about 10 months, expected to be completed at the end of August 2026. The bridge is expected to open to the public shortly after, providing a dedicated crossing for pedestrians and cyclists between the Heritage District and Maricopa Road.

“A long-faded vision is finally becoming reality,” Mayor Nancy Smith said when the city first announced the project. “The bridge is about connecting our community. It will give students a better route to and from school, open new pathways to our businesses and knit together the heart of the Heritage District as we continue its revitalization.”

First floated publicly in 2017, early renderings of the pedestrian bridge showed sweeping ramps and bold suspension-like elements. The final design is a simple metal and concrete bridge, accessible by elevator or stairs. It’s all meant to echo Maricopa’s historic water tower.

But the project’s cost has continued to climb. Initially priced at $3.5 million in 2021, the estimate rose to $5.03 million last year and now stands at $7.92 million, according to a city spokesperson. The bridge is funded through a mix of local and federal money, including roughly $4.1 million from the city budget and about $2.7 million in federal grants.

Despite its flagship status in city planning documents, the bridge has struggled to win over residents. We polled 800 InMaricopa readers last year to gauge excitement. More than three-quarters of respondents said they didn’t expect to use the bridge once it opens. Fewer than one in five readers said they planned to use it.