Bridge is boost to trails project
Christmas came early for the Mills County Trails Board.
MCTB Executive Committee President Shawn Koehler shared some “huge news” with the Glenwood City Council earlier this month about the acquisition of a pedestrian bridge that will cross Keg Creek, linking a proposed trailhead (at the site of the former Glenwood Indian Earth Lodge) with the Glenwood Activities Complex and Mills County YMCA.
The bridge is one of three pedestrian bridges being replaced on the Keystone Trail in Omaha near the College of St. Mary and AkSarBen Village development. Koehler said the bridge was being sold on Facebook Marketplace by Omaha-based Downtown Recycling. The structure is 165 feet long by 7 ½ feet wide and stands 9 feet tall. The board has purchased the bridge for $20,000, providing the non-profit trails board a significant savings.
“It’s a 145-foot crossing. It’s a 165-foot bridge. It’s going to fit in perfectly,” Koehler told council members. “A bridge of that spec built with these construction abilities, if we were to buy it straight from the bridge manufacturer, you’re looking at about a $200,000 bridge by the time it ships here and everything. If you were to buy it through a general contractor, they’re going to charge you probably $300,000 for this bridge.”
The bridge is 27 years old and has some surface rust, but Koehler said it’s “structurally sound.”
“Randy Romens (executive committee vice president) and I went to investigate it first-hand. We shook hands on it, pending city council approval and the approval we need to have for this,” he said. “It was a no-brainer on the spot. The plan is to have Vinton’s (Vinton Enterprises transport company) go over and pick this bridge up, haul it and deliver it to the trailhead site.”
Vinton’s began delivering sections of the bridge to the trailhead site last Monday, Dec. 14.
Koehler said the “Keg Creek Crossing” had been removed from the first phase of the trail system project for 2021, but will now be put back because of the overall savings the bridge purchase will provide.
“Keg Creek Crossing was pulled out of first phase of development n 2021 because of bridge cost along with engineering cost for hydraulic analysis and also probably having to pull the creek bank back a bit for hydraulic flow before the bridge is placed, so we were looking at probably close to $300,00 - $400,000,” he said. “Now that we have the bridge, this will be right around a $100,000 project in totality.”
Glenwood City Administrator Angie Winquist said the money was available to purchase the bridge through a Wellmark Grant awarded to the project and a financial commitment from the city.
Koehler noted that the trails board is anticipating additional funds and resources coming in that have been committed to the trails project from multiple sources, including the Golden Hills RC&D’s Loess Hills Missouri River Region Parks to People Plan and the Mills County Board of Supervisors.
Koehler assured council members the bridge will be safe.
“Once we have the bridge put back in place, we’ll have to have it inspected, I’m sure,” he said.”It does have a capacity limit, I want to say 4 ½ tons, which will not be a problem for a pedestrian bridge at all. It’s not being replaced (in Omaha) because of longevity or lifespan, it’s being replaced because they want to put three new decorative bridges in.”
Koehler said some minimal restoration work will bring another 40-50 years of life to the bridge. He added that the structure will be a nice fit aesthetically with the surrounding area.
Mayor Ron Kohn and members of the council thanked Koehler for the board’s on-going effort to not only get a recreational trail system established in Mills County, but for also finding creative and resourceful ways to get the project funded.
“I think it’s great,” council member Holly Jackson said. “I love how you’re being resourceful and finding a recycled one (bridge). I love how that brings character to it and saves a lot of money.”
Fellow council members echoed Jackson’s thoughts, as did the mayor.
“We really appreciate the effort you’ve put in, Shawn, in getting this done and hanging in there and being patient,” Kohn said.
Romens was at the trailhead site Monday as pieces of the bridge started arriving. He called the bridge is an “awesome find” and said it will be a major boost to the trails project and asset to the Glenwood community.
An exact timeline for assembly and placement of the bridge is unclear, but is expected to be completed in 2021. Koehler said the Mills County Engineers Office will do the abutment work on both sides of the bridge during the placement process.