It’s one of the most trafficked sections on campus, yet the wear and tear is breaking it down. Library Bridge is home to the majority of students on campus at one point or another throughout the week. Constructed in 1966, the beloved landmark was built alongside the R.M. Cooper Library. The bridge has seen 60 years of great use through some of Clemson’s best eras, both old and new.

My biggest issue with the bridge is the need for repairs that are blatantly obvious during times of intense weather. During heavy rain, the bridge tends to have severely spongy spots, particularly on the outer wall regions where your foot can get stuck. You’ll feel the bridge floor give way a little bit under your step, which is plenty of cause for unease. When there is snow or ice, like this past week, the bridge may be salted, but I still see people slipping on every pass. Also, now that the Reflection Pond is back, we will soon have the return of the gnat swarms in the summer upon us.

It would have to be a summer project for the school, but I would say the bridge should get the same treatment that the rest of the school seems to be getting.

I am not, in any way, encouraging the construction that seems to take ages to finish around campus or bidding for another project to only be started amidst the 20 other construction zones, but I would like to nominate the bridge for consideration to be worked on in the next phase.

Think about the image of Clemson. Imagine Death Valley game nights, the Wilbur O. and Ann Powers College of Business swarming with students, Tillman looming over Bowman Field in the summer and that famous view from the Carillon Gardens all the way to the library on central campus. The view is stunning, with the new Reflection Pond updates and the brick buildings surrounding it, but then you shift your eyes to the bridge. It sits dead center in one of the most iconic images of Clemson. Why not give it a breath of new life?

Library Bridge is well-loved, but it shows through the wear and tear of the most-walked straightaway. The stairs have been chipped, and the puddles have seemed to only grow. A facelift for the bridge in terms of a new walkway, more drains and better weather precautions than just a collection of slits in the walls could be the best marketing advantage for campus yet, and even provide a boost in student life ratings.

With the bridge being such a vital place on campus, it’s integral to most walking paths, so it’d be especially difficult to do any construction on the bridge. With all the recent campus restorations and new buildings being built, the bridge could use a look and maybe a slight glow-up in the near future for Clemson’s next series of great eras.

Sarah Bandhauer is a sophomore food science major from Brevard, North Carolina. Sarah can be reached at [email protected].