The Flathead County Commission gave the county staff the go ahead to look into the grant application process for federal funds that would help pay for the removal of the Old Red Bridge in Columbia Falls.
The Red Bridge, which spans the Flathead River, was the focus of an attempted renovation project in the past year. However, due to the project’s rising cost, the commission voted in August to pull $500,000 of Community Transportation Enhancement Program funds previously committed to the renovation.
According to Flathead County Planning and Zoning Director BJ Grieve, the grant from the Federal Emergency Management Association would pay for 75 percent of the bridge’s removal costs, while the county would be responsible for the remaining 25 percent.
Commissioner Jim Dupont said at a Nov. 30 meeting that the county is now in an odd position regarding the bridge, because if it is not renovated it is a hazard. People could climb on the dilapidated structure and fall off, he said, or a major flood incident could knock it down.
If the bridge were to collapse during a flood, it would essentially act as a net catching debris, Grieve said. However, according to an engineering assessment performed on the bridge when it was still being considered for renovation, the structure is in bad shape but not in risk of collapse, Grieve said.
Grieve asked the commissioners for guidance during the meeting, requesting whether to proceed with the grant application or wait on it. If county employees went any further than they already had in the grant process, it would start costing employee hours and county money, he said.
“We’re right at the cusp of moving forward with this project,” Grieve said.
There has yet to be a full cost assessment of the project, the planning director said, though a construction company estimated that their crews could remove the structure for roughly $250,000.
That number would not include the myriad permits and engineering estimates the project would require, Grieve said, and the total cost would likely be higher than the estimate.
There are people and groups interested in preserving the bridge, Grieve said, including the Montana Historical Society, which sent a letter to the commission on Nov. 23 in support of keeping the bridge.
Commissioner Dale Lauman said that though it would be nice to preserve the bridge if possible, the county is responsible for the risks taken by keeping in its current state.
“I think we should pursue the route of the grant,” Lauman said.
The commission agreed that a full rundown of the cost would be necessary, and requested a full engineering assessment of the removal project. Grieve said after the meeting that if the cost-benefit analysis shows that the grant would not be worth pursuing, the county would at least have a firmer idea of what bridge removal would cost. If the analysis shows that the grant is promising, the commission will need to give further approval to continue with the process before the March 2012 deadline, Grieve said.