By Heather Lusk
The Sycamore Street bridge over Eagle Creek has been approved to undergo repairs by the Boone County Commissioners.
The deck and superstructure which spans the bridge will be replaced. Engineering designs are underway by USI Consultants Inc.
Roughly $1.2 million of the $1.8 million estimated expense will be paid by federal funds.
“It’s been approved as a federal project,” Boone County Councilor Tom Santelli said. “Those typically take about five years to (complete) from beginning to end.”
The project is slated to begin in 2020, and Santelli expects that traffic will be rerouted during that time, similar to the work done on the Ford Road Bridge in 2014.
“The bridge is structurally sound,” said Santelli, adding that the railing would sustain the impact of an automobile traveling at the current speed limit.
Pushing the timeline of the bridge repairs earlier could require the county to spend more money.
“There’s no immediate danger with the bridge,” he said. “They’ve got a lot of bridges out there that do have immediate issues (in Boone County).”
Aesthetically the bridge will remain the same and will not include a bike or pedestrian pathway, since the parallel pedestrian bridge will not be affected.
“It’s going to be commensurate with the area,” Santelli said.
“It will be done right,” he said. “I’m excited about doing it right and getting it done.”
