Charley Western Bridge demolition plans on agenda
Press staff report
Two bridge projects are on the agenda to be discussed at a Charles City Council planning session Monday evening.
The council will consider a plan to demolish the damaged Charley Western Trail bridge across the Cedar River.
It will also discuss a timetable for repair work on the First Avenue bridge that crosses over the Charley Western Trail near the middle school and high school.
The city is working with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to obtain a permit to work in the Cedar River to demolish the Charley Western Trail bridge.
“The Cedar River is considered part of the ‘waters of the U.S.’ and is under the jurisdiction of the Corps,” according to documents for the upcoming council meeting.
The Charley Western Bridge partially collapsed the morning of April 8. Since then the bridge has been closed to any use and the city has warned people to stay away from it, including not passing under it on the Cedar River.
The bridge is one of five bridges in Charles City. It was originally used for trains when it was built in the early 1900s.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources permission for demolition has been stalled since the DNR found that the wood turtle, which is state-endangered, could be at risk and informed Charles City that an environmental assessment is needed for the area by a trained biologist.
The preparation for eventual demolition is being handled by Calhoun Burns and Associates.
Calhoun Burns met with Stantec Consulting, a firm suggested by the DNR, for further research on the turtle question. Stantec was retained to make a plan to avoid harming the turtles during bridge demolition, and Stantec biologists will also make site visits during demolition.
The work on the bridge is expected to start as soon as possible so the work can take place during the late winter, when the wood turtle hibernates, according to city documents.
For the First Avenue bridge, according to the city agenda package, “The deck of the 50-year-old bridge has been patched and is starting to delaminate. In order to seal the surface and keep water out of the concrete bridge deck, the entire surface requires removal of delaminated surface, milling and resurfacing to create a sound surface.”
Calhoun Burns is completing finishing the construction and bidding documents, and the city can set hearing dates and bid-letting dates for both projects.
According to the documents the city hopes to approve the following action items during coming dates.
Jan 2, 2018 – Council to approve the preliminary plans and set the letting and hearing dates for both projects
Jan 30, 2018 – Accept bids for both projects
Feb 5, 2018 – Council will hold public hearings, approve final plans and award the bids for both projects
Feb 20, 2018 – Council will approve the contracts and bonds for both projects
The council’s meeting is a planning session, and the council will not take official action on items.
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