Back and bigger than ever, the Physical Science bridge is now open for use.

Construction on the pedestrian bridge began in late May and continued throughout the summer with the goal of completion by October 2016.

Approximately $2 million was spent in order to update the bridge that was built in the 1940s for pedestrian access only, the University Budget Committee said in their May 2016 presentation.

The prior existing Physical Science bridge was replaced with a new 20-foot-wide bridge in order to allow emergency vehicle and pedestrian access between the CSU Chico campus and Arcadian Avenue. Along with a bigger width, the bridge was also built to withstand a maximum of 72,000 pounds to allow emergency vehicles another route to the interior of campus.

Before the bridge was constructed, emergency vehicles only had limited access to the interior of campus by entering through an access near the library and traveling across campus to reach areas close to the physical science building.

Bianca Quilantan can be reached at [email protected] or @theorion_news on Twitter