By Jennifer Eisenbart
Editor
With safety a growing concern on the aging East Jefferson Street bridge, the City of Burlington is making preparations to replace the bridge, likely in 2018.
Director of Public Works Jim Bergles said Tuesday that while the city is contracting out the bridge replacement, the project is still in the design phase and the project will likely begin in 2018.
The project will last four to six months, and will reroute traffic that normally travels over the Jefferson Street bridge.
The first step in the process will be a public involvement meeting by Corre, Inc., on Wednesday, Dec. 7, from 5 to 7 p.m. in the City Council chambers at the police station, 224 E. Jefferson St.
While the open house is not a public hearing, project manager Jessica Lewis said the company has attempted to notify all interested parties so questions can be answered.
Deteriorating bridge
Bergles explained that the bridge structure has been gradually deteriorating over the last several years. The project has been on the city’s capital improvements list for at least that long, said City Administrator Carina Walters.
Phase 1 of the project, a preliminary review and the design phase, began last year, Walters said.
“It’s just basically a continuation of last year,” Walters said. “It just needed to be completed; rebuilt.”
The work will involve removing the entire bridge, including the footings in the Fox River. Bergles said whichever firm ends up handling the project will have to equalize the banks along that stretch as well, shrinking the bridge by about 15 feet.
“That’ll actually make the bridge a little shorter and save us a little money,” Bergles said.
Bergles doesn’t know what the cost of the project will be yet, as no bids have yet come back. But the project is going to happen, as the bridge is nearing the end of its life.
“It needs to happen,” Bergles said.
For more information or questions regarding the bridge project, contact Lewis at (608) 826-6293.
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