A week after environmental firm Impact 7G presented preliminary findings from their survey of the defunct Cascade Bridge, another group is holding a public meeting to present their survey.
According to Friends of the Cascade Bridge president Terry Arellano, the bridge can be rehabilitated at a fraction of the $6 to $9 million estimates provided by Impact 7G last week.
The nonprofit group Working Bridges will present those findings during a public meeting at 6 p.m. tonight at F&M Bank, 221 Jefferson St. All are encouraged to attend.
The Friends group is dedicated only to solutions that would rehab the bridge. The group says demolition or a new bridge are options they will not consider.
The cost of tearing down Cascade Bridge without a replacement would be about $250,000 — not counting the $47,000 already paid to Impact 7G for the study.
The city will have to spend some money regardless, as the bridge is a safety concern. Cascade Bridge, constructed in 1896, was closed to vehicle traffic in 2008 due to structural concerns and closed to foot traffic last year as the condition of the bridge worsened.
Impact 7G is hosting meetings with stakeholders and the community, gathering input to present to the council. The agency also works with the State Historical Preservation Society, which must approve any major changes to the bridge.
If the city decides to keep the bridge or build a new one, city residents will likely have to pay for it through higher taxes. Impact 7G indicated Burlington would likely only be able to secure about $1 million in federal funding for the bridge, considering the $17 million downtown redevelopment project funded by a federal TIGER grant.
Photo by Jeff Abell
Crumbling steel can be seen throughout much of Cascade Bridge in Burlington. The bridge is closed to the public due to safety concerns.