North Cedar Bridge is closer to overhaul on Owatonna

The North Cedar Bridge has taken another step toward a major overhaul, with the city council choosing Minnowa Construction as the contractor for the re-vamp.

By CLARE KENNEDY

ckennedy@owatonna.com

OWATONNA — The North Cedar Bridge is one step closer to a major overhaul.

On Aug. 18, the city council chose a contractor and set aside extra money for engineering services on the bridge.

The bridge re-construction will be funded primarily through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, a package of federal money meant to stimulate the economy.

Initially, the engineering department estimated that the project would cost $1.19 million. Of three bidders, the council awarded the contract to Minnowa Construction, a firm from Harmony, Minn. which undercut the estimate by 5.6 percent with a bid of $1,122,647.

Previously, the city council limited the amount they would spend on engineering services to $68,920. That amount covered the bridge’s design and administration “through the bidding process” according to a memo from City Engineer Jeff Johnson.

That work is done. And now the city’s engineering firm has asked for $143,100 more to take the project through its completion: The money will pay for Bonestroo to do construction staking, construction observation and documentation, materials testing, and final inspection.

“There’s a large amount of this because it’s a federal aid project, much more than a normal project,” Johnson told the city council at its last meeting.

The cost of the work is reimbursable through Municipal State Aid funds.

“It said costs are eligible for reimbursement, but does that guarantee that we will be paid?” asked Council Member Jeff Falk.

“We’re hoping that it will be 100 percent covered,” Johnson said. “There is a percentage limitation and right now we’re well within that percentage. If something would change, there is a possibility that not 100 percent would be but I don’t foresee that happening.”

The council approved the request.

The bridge that currently spans Maple Creek was built in 1937. It has not had a facelift since 1981. The city has planned to update the bridge since 2006, when inspectors from the Minnesota Department of Transportation deemed the structure deficient.

“Deficient” may be a misleading term, however. The bridge is still safe; it’s just old and out of date, as Johnson has pointed out many times. It’s too narrow for the road — which is heavily trafficked with semi-tractor trailers from Lakeside Foods — and the piers and abutments are showing their age.

The city scheduled the bridge reconstruction project for 2010, with the idea that it would be paid for entirely through state aid system, which allots city’s a set amount of money for transportation development each year.

In early 2009, Congress OK’ed a multi-billion dollar stimulus at the urging of President Barack Obama. Projects that would improve infrastructure were suddenly eligible for a windfall of federal cash.

In late February, Johnson got word that the bridge was in the running for about $1.2 million, a fraction of the $141 million package given to MnDOT to distribute among qualifying projects.

City Administrator Kris Busse said the city got word that bridge project had won stimulus funding in spring. She said construction would start next week.

Clare Kennedy can be reached at 444-2376.

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Member Opinions: By: EAG on 8/25/09 Let it collapse, that road never gets used anyhow. By: harleyboy on 8/26/09 why is the bridge being repaired? Because we have federal money to spend or it "really" needs to be repaired? By: Dallas on 8/26/09 Is this the bridge right north of the canning company? I don't know if it needs repairing, but it definitely would be safer if it were wider. By: slundber on 8/26/09 Where will the trolls who live under the bridge go during this project? They will be homeless. But it probably won't stop them from posting here! Somehow trolls always find internet access. ;-) By: tonna_lady29 on 8/26/09 "The road never gets used anyhow"....seriously? By: awful_sick on 8/26/09 People need to remember one thing while this road is closed, please drive slowly through the residential areas that I am sure will become the detour. Elm Street up to 16th Ave to 3rd St and north from there. These roads are not race tracks and saving an extra minute by driving fast because you are being detoured will never be a good enough reason if someone gets hurt or killed due to someone trying to make up time because of the construction. Please remember this, please..... By: tonna_lady29 on 8/26/09 I completely agree with you awful_sick. I live on the NE part of town and will greatly be affected by the detour. People drive fast enough as it is on N. Cedar. This is why you will almost always see a cop parked on 21st st waiting for speeders. I see him pretty much every day and he always catches people! By: singingforjoy on 8/26/09 I hope this includes some serious resurfacing of the road as well. My car always gives me a dirty look when I use this road.
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