After the spring floods of 1997 devastated Grand Forks, North Dakota, and East Grand Forks, Minnesota, the cities had to overcome several challenges to restore normalcy. Among these, both cities had to protect themselves from future floods. They accomplished these goals with a $400 million flood improvements project with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), St. Paul District.

But there was still the question of what to do with the riverfront. With the cities on opposite sides of the Red River of the North, the USACE developed a greenway system that included parks, recreational trails, and two pedestrian bridges to link the trails, creating an 8.5-mile loop between the bridges.

As part of a 2002 indefinite delivery contract with the USACE, Ayres Associates performed a design investigation for alternative bridge types and prepared construction documents for the two pedestrian bridges across the Red River.

Key design considerations were selecting a structure type that was appropriate for a river prone to large floods, designing the trails, and providing aesthetic features. A unique design feature was a removable railing to accommodate large flood events.