March 1 — Old bridge gets a face lift

The Bridge Street Bridge is rehabbed, additional work required

Andrew Hosford / of the Herald

The rehabilitation of the Bridge Street Bridge was finalized at the city council meeting last week with a vote to pass the necessary payment for recent work.

The total cost of the project came to $1,590,205. Grants covered all but the nearly $230,000 cost leftover for the city.

“It’s in good shape,” said Bill Shoemaker, public works director for Sumner. “There is nothing wrong with that bridge.”

Originally, the city planned to paint the bridge, Shoemaker said but further inspection after sandblasting showed more extensive damage to rivets, plates and supports.

The city applied for additional funding through the Bridge Replacement Advisory Committee to allow for the additional repairs. Maintenance for the Fryar Avenue Bridge was funded by the same grant.

“Once they realized we had repair work to do they helped out,” Shoemaker said of the committee.

The project required three different funding stages that saw the original costs go from an estimated $411,336 for painting to the final total.

To cover the costs, Sumner sold previously purchased right-of-way land that is acquired through condemnation. Most of the land is property that abuts roads and highways.

The council voted to approve the payments and members were relieved to have the old bridge repaired.

“Council members want to retain the bridge,” said council member Ed Hannus.

He said the council enjoys the historic aspect of it and the tradition of events like the annual lighting.

The restrictions on trucks and lane size are issues that will still need to be taken care of, he added.

“The only real concern I have at this point is that the bridge is dirty,” he said.

Shoemaker said the condition of the bridge has been a concern since he began working for the city 12 years ago.

When the issue was first presented, city traffic engineers recommended that the bridge be completely replaced for a minimum cost of $6.5 million.

The council made it clear that the bridge meant to much to the community to destroy.

“They really wanted to save the bridge and keep it,” Shoemaker said.

Within the constraints of the budget, workers replaced rivets and worn-out plates to keep it in working condition. Not all of the repairs could be finished.

“There is additional work we need to do,” Shoemaker said.

He added that the bridge will not be closed any time soon.

To decrease stress on the old parts, the maximum axle load limit is now 20 percent less for trucks using the bridge for transport.

Shoemaker said the ultimate goal is to get the bridge off the truck route completely but too many businesses are dependent on the bridge right now.

He hopes to continue working on the bridge as needed over the next five years but there are no major plans in the works.

“We closed out the project and the work is finished,” Shoemaker said.