City considers pedestrian bridge design for Ann Arbor-Saline Rd

The city of Ann Arbor is getting ready to make a decision on what kind of pedestrian bridge it wants to build alongside the Ann Arbor-Saline Road.City officials are trying to decide whether to build a box-culvert adjacent to the road or a steel bridge a few feet off of it. They plan to hold a public meeting on Tuesday evening to see what direction local residents want to go.”Design will begin as soon as we have a decision,” says Nichole Woodward, utilities engineer for the city of Ann Arbor. “The end goal is to get this open to the public by the beginning of the football season.The heavy rains from this last summer washed away the abutments of the pedestrian bridge along the Ann Arbor-Saline bridge over Mallett’s Creek on the city’s west side just north of Northbrook Drive. There is now a temporary bridge over the span. The city plans to replace the 8-foot-wide, 22-foot-long original bridge. It is heavily used by local pedestrians and bicyclists.The box culvert option would mirror what is on the opposite side of the thoroughfare and cost $235,000 to build. The steel bridge would cost $173,000. Both options have a lifespan of about 50 years and would take about three months to build. Construction is expected to begin this summer.The public meeting will be held at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Lawton Elementary School, 22500 S Seventh St. For information on the project or the meeting, call Woodward at (734) 794-6426 ext 43909 or send and email to nxwoodward@a2gov.org.Source: Nichole Woodward, utilities engineer for the city of Ann ArborWriter: Jon Zemke