HICKORY, N.C. — On the morning of Feb. 18, Hickory Mayor Hank Guess received a phone call from his city manager. The 40-ton wooden arches installed over the pedestrian bridge on Main Avenue had collapsed. 

“I was in complete disbelief, complete disbelief,” Guess said. 

He said at first he thought part of an arch had fallen, or just a section. Then he learned the entire structure had fallen, and his next thought was, “Did anyone get hurt?” he said. 

According to a police report, a driver saw the arches collapse but hit his breaks just in time, his car bumping into the arches. He was not hurt. 

Three companies nearby captured the collapse on video. 

Guess said the city has hired an attorney from Charlotte.

The arches are part of the larger City Walk project, included in a $40 million bond referendum passed by voters in 2014. Guess said after the bond, the city received $50 million more in grants, which was used for the arches, which cost $750,000. 

The contractor for the entire project is Neil Grading Construction Co. They subcontract out companies to engineer the arches, Wood PLC, and the installation was done by Dane Construction.

Guess said all parties involved, except the city, are conducting an independent investigation into why the arches fell. 

It was windy the night of Feb. 18 — the peak wind gust was 33 mph, according to the National Weather Service. The city said the arches were built to sustain winds up to 100 mph. 

The debris was removed two weeks later, while insurance and investigators checked out the damage. 

Railing on the bridge is damaged, and Guess said because of short supplies, the contractor has not replaced it, so the pedestrian section on the bridge remains closed. 

“Some things just happen,” Guess said.

He hopes the community continues to put faith in its leaders and looks forward to completing the larger vision of the City Walk project, which includes the 10-mile pedestrian walk connecting all four quadrants in Hickory.