Friday, April 26, 2024
In September, the pedestrian bridge in Shanley Park behind Granbury City Hall appeared to finally be headed for repair after being closed for four years because of safety concerns.
But then the city’s engineering firm, Teague Nall and Perkins, submitted an estimate of what the project would cost and it became a bridge that city officials were unwilling to cross.
The estimate was $750,000 — far higher than the $250,000 the city had expected.
Now the city is instead switching gears and preparing to remove the bridge.
At its regular meeting last week, the City Council directed staff to research the costs involved in removing the bridge and its failed pilings, constructing a retaining wall and enhancing the area with overlooks, handrails and benches.
Staff were also asked to consult with the Lake Granbury Area Beautification Council about whether its members would be willing to allow the $75,000 donated by the group for repair of the bridge to be used instead to enhance that area after the bridge is removed.
City Manager Chris Coffman said that the higher-than-anticipated cost is related to the involvement of the United States Army Corps of Engineers, the Brazos River Authority and “the environmental aspect with federal waters” — factors that are at play even though the bridge is small and the creek it spans is narrow.
Coffman said the work became “a pretty expensive package.”
At its meeting on Dec. 6, the council agreed with Coffman’s suggestion to “redirect” Teague Nall and Perkins and have the engineering firm focus on a “different scope of work.”
An examination of the bridge in 2018 found that it is structurally sound but the pilings are failing.
The bridge will be preserved for possible use at a different location, such as the city’s Disc Golf Couse.
