Gainesville is one step closer to being a connected, walkable town.

Construction crews worked Monday night to set main beams for a pedestrian bridge across Jesse Jewell Parkway.

Crews lowered a 75-ton main beam that will provide support to a 450-foot bridge connecting downtown to midtown over one of Gainesville's busiest four-lane roads.

"It's neat to see these things come together," said project manager Barclay Fouts, who has been working on the bridge plans for more than a year. "You always get a sense of accomplishment out of anything that you build — stepping back from it and being able to see something has changed after a day's work."

Jesse Jewell was completely closed from about 10 p.m. Monday to 3 a.m. Tuesday, but Fouts said he doesn't expect that to happen again as the project is completed.

After July 4, crews will close one lane at a time as they install a work platform above the road.

Fouts said they'll then finish the bridge floor, fencing and sidewalks before the project's completion goal of late September.

Director of Developmental Services Rusty Ligon said the bridge will pay off as future midtown construction projects get under way.

"This concept of connecting downtown to midtown originally came about in the midtown redevelopment plan we did back in 2001 or 2002," he said. "What we are trying to accomplish with the redevelopment of midtown is making some strategic public investments that will spur private investments."

City View developers already have plans to construct a 13-story hotel, six-level parking garage and two nine-story office buildings in midtown where Gainesville's old public safety building used to stand.

The Jesse Jewell pedestrian bridge will connect these new buildings to downtown, making easy access for the community.

"It's great that people will be able to stay in the hotel, be at a convention and then just easily walk across the bridge to come downtown to shop, eat and enjoy it," Main Street Manager Angela Thompson said.

"Walkability is extremely important to downtown."

Henry Slack, who owns an auto parts store near the bridge, said he's not sure if walking traffic will boost sales but he's excited about the construction.

"As a real estate owner here at the corner of Main Street and Jesse Jewell, that development could do nothing but enhance," he said. "If there ends up being an office tower and hotel there, that's a pretty dramatic change."

But the connectivity doesn't have to end at midtown.

Michael Graham, deputy director of Gainesville's Parks and Recreation Department, said it has been a longtime goal to make Hall County more pedestrian friendly.

"That's both a state and national thing right now," he said.

"People want more greenways. They like self-directed exercise, they like to be able to go and walk with their family, go off into the pocket parks off the greenways to have picnics and play on the playgrounds and things like that. Just being able to tie your community together from a pedestrian and a biking standpoint instead of having to drive everywhere - it makes it a more livable community."

Graham said the bridge will connect downtown to the midtown greenway that is under construction.

When finished, the greenway will in turn connect to a new Central Hall Trail that will run toward the Oakwood area.

Graham compared the plan to a wheel where downtown is the hub and greenways are spokes.

He said the Rock Creek Greenway was the first spoke, running from Lake Lanier to downtown.

"The idea was that you would be able to tie the downtown square to Lake Lanier on one spoke and then all the way down to the Chicopee Woods, Gainesville (State) College and Oakwood area down the other spoke. It would really start tying the community together from a pedestrian and bicycling standpoint."

Graham said recent surveys have identified these kinds of projects as No. 1 on most residents' wish lists.

"It's a slow process, but it's something the people want and we're continually and diligently working forward and trying to make that happen," he said.