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Jefferson Avenue Footbridge Rehabilitation Efforts Move Forward

Jefferson Avenue Footbridge
Michele Skalicky
Jefferson Avenue Footbridge
Jefferson Avenue Footbridge
Credit Michele Skalicky
Jefferson Avenue Footbridge

Work to rehabilitate the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge is expected to get underway next year.

Springfield City Council this week voted to delay the bidding process by three to four months. 

The updated estimated base bid for the project is $2,900,000, according to Martin Gugel, assistant director of public works for the City of Springfield.  And the approved construction budget is currently $2,500,000.  He told council there’s an alternate bid that could be placed based on discussions and agreements with stakeholders that would allow the approach to the bridge to be rehabilitated.  Under the current base bid, that approach would be removed.

Federal STBG funding would cover 80 percent of the cost with local money covering the rest.

Gugel told council they have two options:   If they open the bidding with the current budget, the city could end up paying several hundred thousands more.  That’s because if bids come in less than 10 percent over the estimated cost, according to Gugel, the city could have to come up with close to $700,000 in additional money, which could not come from federal grants.  If bids come in more than 10 percent over the estimated cost under the current budget, the city would have the option of rejecting the bid and would have time to find additional federal money for the project.  The city would also have a better idea of how much the project will cost. 

But Gugel said the city would be taking a risk by choosing that option. 

“This is a unique project, a unique structure, unique work, and there is the risk of bids coming in even higher than what we would anticipate,” he said.

Another option, he told council, would be to increase the budget to cover the updated estimated cost of the project, which would require the bidding process to be delayed by a few months.  The city would have to identify another $133,600 in local funds under that option, but additional federal funds could be identified for the project. 

Council settled on that option, although it wasn’t a unanimous decision.

The Jefferson Avenue Footbridge was built in 1902 and was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.  It was closed in 2016 after issues with the structure were discovered during routine maintenance.  On the truss and towers, workers found that one of every three members need to be repaired or strengthened; six of 10 vertical columns on the south approach need to be strengthened; the north and south stairs need to be replaced; and new paint is needed.  The bridge was given a “poor” rating.

The city collected 350 surveys about the footbridge in 2016.  The majority of those surveyed (87 percent) wanted the original bridge preserved.

Copyright 2021 KSMU. To see more, visit KSMU.

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Michele Skalicky has worked at KSMU since the station occupied the old white house at National and Grand. She enjoys working on both the announcing side and in news and has been the recipient of statewide and national awards for news reporting. She likes to tell stories that make a difference. Michele enjoys outdoor activities, including hiking, camping and leisurely kayaking.