Committee settles on Bigfork bridge options

The voices steering the future of Bigfork’s beloved, yet decaying, historic Swan River Bridge have landed on two options. Both plans have a roughly $2 million price tag, and the need for repair comes as the state’s bridge funds have a waiting list stacked through 2024. 

“We know that bridge has a limited life, so there’s a real challenge there,” said Kathy Harris with KLJ Engineering. The company helped lead a 10-month feasibility study for the county and state department of transportation.

The village’s one-lane steel bridge is 104 years old. Due to corrosion, the span is capped at a three-ton load limit. That’s the lightest limit allowed before closure.

Throughout months of deliberation, the Swan River Bridge Steering Committee has worked to balance bridge designs with the desires of a community tied to the landmark.

The committee met with about 30 people Thursday night for the third and final public meeting covering their options.

“In my background, it’s unusual to have this much community involvement,” Harris said. “This bridge matters, especially to the people who grew up with it. We’re grateful for their participation.”

Since the bridge is owned by Flathead County, commissioners will have the final say regarding the bridge’s future. Harris said the steering committee’s final suggestions are expected to land on the commission’s agenda in late January or early February.

IN BOTH of the final suggestions, designs outline a steel truss overhead with one lane for traffic and a walking path — similar to the original bridge.

Each design also meets current vehicle loads, which would increase the weight limit to allow emergency vehicles and loaded trucks to cross when needed.

The $1.5 to $2.4 million estimated for the project would pay to remove the existing bridge, install new foundations and the new span.

Harris said in the past, some bridges have moved up the eight-year-long list to get funding for repairs. But, there’s no guarantee that will happen for Bigfork.

The sooner the county finalizes design plans, the sooner the span gets on the department of transportation’s list for Off-System Bridge Funds.

There’s also hope the department’s budget will grow in the next year.

The 2015 Legislature failed to pass a $150 million bill funding infrastructure projects across the state. A similar bill is expected to hit the legislative floor again in the 2017 session.

Chris Harden, with the Montana Department of Transportation, said it’s hard to know what to expect with the next session.

“There’s always hope a bill will pass, but really, I have no idea if it will,” Harden said. “That’s really the big question.”

Thursday night, one audience member asked how much the county would be able to cover for the bridge replacement.

“Most likely, little to very, very little,” Flathead County Public Works Director David Prunty said. “My bridge department has $800,000 a year to take care of over 100 bridges and culvert crossings in the whole county.”

Prunty said the lack of funding is why it’s so important for the county, Bigfork residents and Montana Department of Transportation to agree on the best option for the bridge’s future — especially since the state department is the county’s only funding partner for the bridge.

Prunty said without funding from the state, a concrete bridge is the only real option the county has, “which you can see is a horrible option.”

ONE DESIGN option being considered has steel girders supporting the weight of the bridge’s load. The original bridge truss would remain simply for looks. This option drops the bridge 40 inches closer to the river, Harris said. She said that gives boaters less space and slightly changes the look of the bridge.

Another option has a slightly higher cost estimation and would create a truss with overhead bracing that would be slightly thicker than the existing truss.

Harris said while rehabilitating the bridge was the most popular community option, only 25 percent of the original bridge’s material could be saved.

“Cost-wise, it’s going to be more expensive and there’s a big risk that as we start design ... the cost could go up quite a bit,” she said.

Paul Mutascio, president of the Community Foundation for a Better Bigfork, initially supported restoring the bridge instead of replacing it. The foundation secured the bridge on the National Register of Historic Places in 2015.

Thursday Mutascio said he supported the option with a new truss and overhead bracing.

“Our concern was not necessarily the historical designation, but the cultural aspect ... it makes us unique and we know the look you need when competing with other cities,” he said. “[This option] basically gives us a new bridge that’s going to last for a long time.”

MDT is taking comments and concerns regarding the bridge through Jan. 3, 2017. Send comments to Ed Toavs at MDT’s Missoula District office at P.O. Box 7039, Missoula, MT 59807-7039 or online at: www.mdt.mt.gov/mdt/comment_form.shtml.

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.