After months of delays, crews are set to start hoisting a 121-foot pedestrian bridge over Northwest Expressway that will connect two sets of city trails. 

The $5.3 million bridge, approved by voters as part of the 2007 bond program and 2017 Better Streets, Safer City bond program, is being built at Wilshire Boulevard and will result in that stretch of Northwest Expressway being closed between Wilshire and MacArthur Boulevard between midnight and 5 a.m. on Sept. 14. 

Construction began in November. The span itself was delivered in April and placed on the expressway median with plans to put it into place after just a few weeks.   

A supply chain issue led to delays in acquiring LED lighting and wiring that had to be installed prior to moving the bridge span over the expressway. 

Welding, decking, assembly and other work will take place over the next few weeks, causing the outside east and westbound lanes to be closed through mid-October. Two lanes in each direction will remain open to traffic. 

The bridge will link the Lake Hefner and Lake Overholser trails and provide safer passage for walkers, cyclists and runners across Northwest Expressway. The design reflects classic cars from the 1940s, 1950s and 1960s and nearby airports, Wiley Post and Clarence E. Page, and their aviation heritage. 

More than 46,000 cars travel the corridor daily, and the intersection at Wilshire has at times proved deadly for pedestrians trying to cross it.