Traffic flows Friday over the historic Lafayette Street Bridge near the site of a vehicular impact that damaged a portion of the north side of the bridge nearly a decade ago.
The City Council is expected to soon sign off on a design contract for renovation of two historic bridges in downtown Fayetteville.
The bridges, on Lafayette and Maple streets, cross over the Arkansas & Missouri Railroad tracks and connect West and Arkansas avenues.
From bent and rusted railings to chipped concrete and broken lights, the 1930s-era bridges – while still structurally sound – are in need of a complete cosmetic overhaul.
Talk of repairs has circulated for years, but it wasn’t until about 18 months ago that the project began to take shape.
Council members expedited renovation plans in July 2011 by approving the use of up to $1 million in 80-20 matching federal money to put toward the estimated $1.4 million project. It was decided that the remaining cost would be paid through the Transportation Improvement Bond Program voters approved in 2006.
Since that time, city planning staff have been negotiating design contract details with state officials and engineering consultants.
The result is a $279,000 contract with McClelland Consulting Engineers of Fayetteville. By utilizing federal-aid Highway Bridge Replacement and Rehabilitation Program funds, the city’s portion of design fees is about $56,000.
Street Committee members last week forwarded the plan to the City Council for consideration at its next meeting on Feb. 19.
“This has been a long time coming,” said Ward 2 alderman and Street Committee chair Matthew Petty last week.
Mayor Lioneld Jordan agreed. “It seems like we’ve been working on this forever,” said Jordan. “This is a really great moment.”
Each bridge is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. In order to retain that designation, special rehabilitation work is required to restore the bridges as close as possible to their original form.
Contract details indicate McClelland will work with Missouri-based Horner & Shifrin, Inc. to replace overlays, deck drains, light fixtures and damaged sections of rail using the original bridge plans.
City engineer Chris Brown said design work would likely be complete in time to begin construction early next year.
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Jeez, a whole year for the design phase? This is long overdue. It sure will be nice.
If it involves have to work with the RR in any capacity, then one year will not be enough.
It could be an amazing restoration – looking forward to seeing the design.
I don’t mind waiting a year. If we tried to tear things up now, while they are still building the Frisco place and partially blocking many of the streets in that immediate vicinity, it would be a major disaster.
A cosmetic overhaul are precisely the words to describe what is needed right there in that general area. Exciting to hear.
Flyer staff, can you kindly clarify new comment moderation rules?
and sincere apologies for hijacking this thread for this purpose.
No new rules.
I assume you have a comment stuck in moderation. I’ll look into it.Update: Found it. The word “prickly” contains a five-letter word that triggered auto-moderation. It’s back.I’m simply impressed that about 80 years later the bridges are still structurally sound. If that had not been the case we’d have a really expensive project at hand.