A bridge to honor Arianna

On June 16, 2006, 7-year-old Arianna Macnamara was on a bike ride with her family.

The pedestrian path they were riding on along one side of Highway 14 stopped, forcing riders to continue their trek on the other side of the highway.

Drivers in three of the four lanes stopped to let the bikers cross.

“Somebody who was not paying attention went through and collided with Arianna Macnamara, who was crossing there,” said Rochester City Councilman Michael Wojcik. “She unfortunately passed away shortly thereafter.”

Sponsored by Rep. Tina Liebling (DFL-Rochester), HF93 would designate the new pedestrian bridge over Highway 14 the “Arianna Celeste Macnamara Memorial Bridge.” The bill was held over Feb. 2 by the House Transportation Policy and Finance Committee for possible omnibus bill inclusion. However, Committee Chairman Michael Beard (R-Shakopee) said if no omnibus bill is put together, he’d seek to move the bill forward on its own.

A companion, SF188, sponsored by Sen. David Senjem (R-Rochester), awaits action by the Senate Transportation Committee.

Already open, the three-quarter-mile pedestrian bridge will eventually connect the Douglas State Trail, one the most heavily used bicycle trails in the state, to downtown Rochester. “As a city council, we discussed this and unanimously decided it would be appropriate to name this bridge in honor of this young girl,” Wojcik said. He said the family was on board with the idea, and her little brother cut the ribbon on the bridge dedication.

However, Wojcik said state approval is needed to put some state-approved, privately funded signage along the highway, and it needs to be officially dedicated by both the state and the city.