PIMA COUNTY, (Aug. 14, 2025) — Pima County celebrated the opening of a new pedestrian bridge on the Chuck Huckelberry Loop at an official ribbon-cutting ceremony Aug. 13.
The Suzanne Shields Santa Cruz River Pedestrian Bridge connects the east and west segments of The Loop near Sweetwater Wetlands Park and Danny Lopez Park, allowing users of the popular trail to safely cross the river.
Previously, there was no safe crossing available for Loop users for a four-mile stretch of the trail between Grant Road and El Camino del Cerro.
“This is the first pedestrian bridge Flood Control has built across the Santa Cruz River, and it is one of the longest pedestrian bridges we have built so far,” said Nanda Srinivasamurthy, an engineer at the Pima County Regional Flood Control District.
The paved bridge, which spans more than 300 feet over a sandy wash, promises to make one of the most popular stretches of the County’s longest trail safer and easier to use than ever. Construction on the bridge began in January 2025 and was completed in July 2025.
Along with benefiting Loop users, the bridge serves the important flood control function of providing better maintenance access across the river — as well as another location where swiftwater rescues can be performed when needed.
“I’m honored to be part of this project, and I look forward to seeing the community enjoy this pedestrian bridge in the coming years,” Srinivasamurthy said.
The bridge is named for Shields, who served as the department’s first hydrologist in 1979 and went on to serve as director of Flood Control from 2005 to 2022.
District 3 Supervisor Jennifer Allen called Shields a pioneer for women in her profession and said she served as a mentor for many female engineers at the County.
“Suzanne was more than a stellar hydrologist, a skilled administrator, and a great and innovative leader of the Regional Flood Control District — she also was hell on wheels,” she said. “And I mean that in a good way. She was passionate about the mission of the Flood Control District.”
Allen also noted the role Shields played in innovating the use of soil cement banks to control flood waters and protect nearby communities.
“It’s now a ubiquitous flood control method used across the globe,” she said.
Allen said it was fitting that the bridge would be named in Shields’ honor, given the role the former Flood Control director played in the development of The Loop. After noticing that the bank paths were popular spots for runners and cyclists, Shields and other County leaders decided to pave them for the public’s use.
“It improves the recreational use of The Loop by creating a bank-to-bank connection that would otherwise be absent for many miles of the river, and it is anchored on either end on the soil cement banks that Suzanne helped to build,” Allen said.
The Loop grew from its humble origins into a 138-mile system of paved pathways and bike lanes that has become the County’s most popular trail. It runs alongside five waterways, including the Santa Cruz River.
USA Today has twice named The Loop the best recreational trail in the United States. It is named for Huckelberry, who served as County Administrator from 1994 to 2022.