Barring any unforeseen difficulty, a pedestrian bridge connecting Iola proper with the Lehigh Portland Trails complex should be in place by summer.
Crews from B&B Bridge Company, St. Paul, began clearing brush debris last week on the south side of Elm Creek, at the end of South Washington Avenue.
By Monday, enough had been cleared for workers from Midwest Foundation, Joplin, to drill 10-foot deep holes along the bank for a pair of concrete pilings.
The pilings will reinforce the span’s foundation on the south edge.
Depending on weather, the pilings and foundation should be in place in short order.
The 170-foot steel truss bridge will arrive in three sections, noted Assistant City Administrator Corey Schinstock.
Assembly and bridge installation should be done by early April.
The B&B contract calls for the entire project to be complete within 180 calendar days, or by mid-June.
INSTALLATION marks the culmination of a monthslong, and at times tumultuous, effort to get the bridge in place.
Thrive Allen County, acting on the city’s behalf, secured about $269,000 in various grants, after the original engineer’s estimates came in at $250,000.
That was before the city learned engineers failed to account for installation costs when it provided the original $250,000 estimate.
A split city council voted, 4-4, in October to chip in about $76,000 for the project after the city received the B&B bid of $345,000. Mayor Joel Wicoff cast the deciding vote in favor, allowing the bridge project to proceed.
The bridge will be 10 feet wide, large enough to accompany pedestrians and bicyclists. It also allows easier access to Gates Corporation and other businesses south of the creek.
