Pedestrian bridge could double in cost
Noah and Zoe Wirtz of Humboldt enjoyed having their photo taken with the Easter Bunny Saturday morning during the annual Noon Kiwanis Easter egg hunt, held in cooperation with the Humboldt Recreation Department outside at the Humboldt Recreation Center. Despite sub-freezing temperatures, there was a strong turnout and all of the candy magically disappeared! See this and other photos from this event by clicking on the Buy a Photo link at the top of this page. Independent photo by Kent Thompson.
By KENT THOMPSON
The Humboldt City Council received some news Monday night, but not of the welcome variety.
The Council heard a report from Nick Frederiksen, civil engineering group leader with ISG, the city’s civil engineering firm, provided a report on several public works projects for the city, both short- and long-term.
One of those projects that the city has been looking forward to is a pedestrian bridge to connect the north side of town to the south side without having to cross Highway 169.
“We are currently dealing with a couple of different challenges regarding that project and one of them just came to light last Friday,” Frederiksen told the Council.
The original cost figure was estimated to be in the $900,000 range. The city has secured $700,000 in state Transportation Alternatives Program (TAP) funds. The city of Humboldt has committed $200,000 toward the project, which has been saved over time, and the Humboldt County Board of Supervisors has also committed $100,000 toward the bridge.
“It was never the intent to go with shorter spans and put in piers, but that may be the only solution to mitigate the cost factors,” Frederiksen told the Council.
He said using piers could require another 10 months of permitting.
He said the current cost estimate for the bridge alone is $1.3-$1.4 million. Read more about this story in this week's Humboldt Independent. Subscribe by clicking on the link at the top of this page.
