City Council to hear options for the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge restoration

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. — City leaders are another step closer to deciding the future of the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge after a public information meeting discussing four bid options for its restoration.

The historic footbridge was closed in 2016 for safety reasons; since then members of the community have been passionate about restoring it to its former glory. The bridge was built in 1902 and for years provided a safe way for pedestrians to cross the railroad tracks.

“This bridge is very important to them because of the history of the railroad and the City of Springfield, and the influence on our history over time,” said Dan Smith Springfield Public Works Director. “It’s also been because it’s a unique bridge. It’s a beautiful bridge, unique from an engineering standpoint. It has attracted people from around the world.”

The City of Springfield hosted an informational meeting Thursday night discussing four main bid options for the bridge. The bids range from 8.5 million dollars to 10.8 million dollars.

“The bids came in higher than the funding we have available, and that’s due to inflation that we’re seeing,” Smith said. “Also, this project has a lot of risk due to the age of the bridge due to the active rail lines.”

The main differences between the four bids is how the paint on the bridge is restored and whether or not the south approach is included.
“As long as this has taken to get to this point, I really believe that council will make a wise decision,” said Mary Collette who owns a business on C-Street. “And fund the complete project with the complete paint replacement and the full maintain the full footbridge without removing any of the original material.”
The City has already received 8 million dollars in funding from the state for the bridge, and allocated $ 595,000 in local funds. In order to make up the difference City Council will be hearing a bill for special obligation improvement bonds allowing the city to give additional funds to multiple projects including the Jefferson Avenue Footbridge.

“Bonding would be paid back by quarter cent bonds over 15 years,” Smith said. “But that would then give City Council the choice to choose which option they want for the repair of the footbridge.”

People who attended the meeting were able to fill out comment cards for which option they think is best for City Council to take into consideration

“I think we should go for the full the full 10.8 bid,” Collette said. “I think it’s important to realize that the maintenance on that wouldn’t be needed for 20 to 25 years. So that’ll more than pay for itself over the next few years.”

City Council will hear the first reading of the bonds bill at Mondays City Council meeting, and they will take a closer look at the four bid options at Council lunch on Tuesday.

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