The pedestrian bridge that leads to the University of Iowa medical campus will receive a facelift next summer.
According to Iowa City City Council meeting documents, a 2019 inspection found deterioration and cracking in the bridge’s concrete. Alin Dumachi, a senior engineer for the city, said the bridge also has exposed reinforcement because of cracks, which has led to corrosion.
The bridge was designed and constructed sometime in the early 1960s and has retained its original shape throughout the years, Dumachi said.
The project will consist of removing the outside two feet of the bridge and repouring the concrete there, Dumachi said. There will also be spot repairs as needed if cracks further within the walkway, he said.
Scott Sovers, the city’s assistant city engineer, said at the Oct. 1 City Council meeting that a coating will be applied so any spot repairs will be visually consistent with the rest of the bridge.
Additionally, the project will add new handrails and lighting, Dumachi said. He said there will also be accessibility improvements where the bridge meets the sidewalk that connects to the Iowa River Trail.
The bridge will be closed to pedestrians for the entire duration of construction, but there will be a detour from Iowa Avenue to the south of Riverside Drive down to Burlington Street, Dumachi said.
“People that love to walk will definitely appreciate the extra mile,” Dumachi said.
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There will be no complete street closures on Riverside Drive, Dumachi said, but there may be certain lanes that will be closed at times. These lane closures will occur at night to minimize any traffic impacts, he said.
The estimated project cost is $1.3 million, but the city will only be responsible for paying 25 percent, or around $325,000, of the project, documents state. This is because the city, the UI, and the Iowa Department of Transportation share the costs of any maintenance projects on the city’s three pedestrian bridges over Riverside Drive or Highway 6.
The agreement between the three entities states that the city and the UI are each responsible for 25 percent of project costs, and the Iowa Department of Transportation pays for the remaining 50 percent.
According to city documents, the contract award date is Nov. 4, 2024, which will determine what construction company will take on the project.
Some UI students said they appreciate the repairs being done to the bridge. Ken Sullivan, a fourth-year student, said they walk across the bridge around a dozen times each week to get to their job on the medical campus.
Sullivan said the bridge seems structurally safe but is a bit narrow, especially when bicyclists or people on scooters try to pass those on foot.
“I feel like the bridge is just a very high-traffic area, and with the spiral, it just feels like it gets kind of narrow with all the people, so I feel like there could just be a lot better design for that,” Sullivan said.
The next major project involving a bridge in the city is the Burlington Street Bridge project, which will consist of replacing the vehicle and pedestrian portions of the bridge, Dumachi said. The project is estimated to cost $30 million and take place in 2029.