By William Smith
Every rehab job is replete with “what ifs.”
For Burlington residents interested in a cheaper way to reopen the shuttered Cascade Bridge, the biggest (but far from only) “what if” could be a $2 million paint job.
Julie Bowers, executive director of the nonprofit organization Workin' Bridges, presented a $4.7 million rehabilitation option for Cascade Bridge Thursday night that would allow the city to reopen the 124-year-old historic structure to vehicle traffic.
By Bowers’ estimate, the bridge could be encapsulated in vinyl for as little as $900,000, which would protect it against the elements. A paint job would be optional, she said, which is why she didn’t figure its cost into the estimate.
The paint job could add at least an additional million to that initial $4.7 million cost estimate. Bowers said painting the bridge right away is not necessary, however, and could be delayed 20 years if necessary, depending on funding. The vinyl coating would act as protection.
“I wanted to leave that (whether or not to paint the bridge) up to you,” Bowers said Thursday to a crowd filling one of the rooms at F&M Bank in downtown Burlington.
Workin’ Bridges specializes in buying and leasing historic bridges so communities can work together to rehab the structures at a lower cost.
Bowers noted her estimate is a fraction of the $6 to $9 million rehab cost discussed last week by environmental and planning firm Impact 7G. Adjusted for inflation, the Impact 7G rehab plan comes to $9.89 million — a figure estimated by Impact 7G itself.
A Choice Between Vinyl and Paint
Bowers did get an overall paint quote from Ziegler Industries in Keokuk, which estimated it would cost between $1.9 million to $2.4 million to scaffold, contain, blast and paint the entire bridge.
Bowers said she was able to whittle that price tag down to $900,000 by taking out the paint job and lowering containment costs. The Ziegler estimate put containment costs at between $500,000 and $600,000.
Impact 7G estimated the cost of painting the bridge at $1.94 million.
The firm also estimated $9.89 million would be needed in upfront costs to rehab the bridge overall (including paint), adjusted for inflation. That breaks down to $7.28 million for construction, $1.94 million for painting, and $750,000 for design and inspection.
Bowers said a lot of those construction costs can be lowered, especially by organizing local steelworker unions and volunteers who can work alongside engineers and experts. She encouraged the crowd to leave no avenue of help unsolicited. She noted that Workin’ Bridges already has had an engineer examine the bridge twice.
The city of Burlington hired Impact 7G for $47,000, partly so the company can verify the city’s plan with the State Historic Preservation Office, whatever the plan may end up being. One of the options is to demolish the bridge, which would cost $250,000. Impact 7G estimated the cost of a new bridge at between $3 and $5 million.
Bowers said working with State Historic Preservation Office isn’t necessary, noting the only consequence would be a cutoff in grant funding.
Nick MacGregor, Assistant Burlington City Manager for Public Works, cited those complications in grant funding as one of the reasons the city hired Impact 7G.
The Long Term Plan
Bowers said if the city doesn’t plan to do anything with the bridge in the next five years, Workin’ Bridges would like to lease the bridge so the community can work on it. But with concerns over the bridge being a falling hazard to the street below, a long wait is unlikely.
Bowers believes she can get the bridge rehabbed within the next five years. If immediate funding were available, it would only take a year, she said.
Workin’ Bridges was hired by the Friends of the Cascade Bridge group, which is dedicated to options that would preserve Cascade Bridge. The group is planning future meetings and discussions, and Bowers encouraged everyone in attendance to voice their opinions at upcoming city council meetings.