North Augusta councilmembers were apprised of a bridge on the Greeneway that was damaged when a tree fell on it.
The bridge crosses a creek on the Greeneway in the area of Riverside Boulevard just off East Buena Vista Avenue.
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Engineering and Public Works Director Tom Zeaser used photographs to show council members the condition of the bridge during the April 25 study session.
“It experienced significant structural damage to both the supports underneath the bridge as well as the superstructure,” he said. “You can also generally see the condition of the bridge even without the tree damage. Wood decking was severely weathered; the railings were already kind of wonky to use engineering terms. It was definitely in need of some major rehabilitation regardless.”
The bridge was constructed in 1998 at a cost of $22,000. Zeaser explained the original plans for the bridge called for a prefabricated steel bridge. However, a decision was made to construct a wooden structure instead. He was not with the city at the time and does not know why it was changed.
A recent aerial photograph shows a decided bend in the middle of the bridge. Older photographs show the bridge was straight when first constructed.
Zeaser presented councilmembers with three options.
The cheapest option would be to repair the existing structure to a usable condition. It would cost $8,000 to $10,000. The work could be done by city crews and finished in two to three weeks. However, it would still be subject to the natural deterioration of wood surface and have a lifespan of about five years.
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The second option calls for removing and rebuilding the superstructure at a cost of up to $30,000. The work would take up to eight weeks and would be done by city crews. It would have a lifespan of about 10 years; however, it would also be vulnerable to the same natural deterioration. He used a photo of a bridge over the Augusta Canal as an example. That structure has a protective coating, but the wooden deck still shows some deterioration.
The final option is to completely remove the structure and piers and replace it with a prefabricated steel bridge at a cost of $150,000, $25,000 for engineering, $75,000 for the bridge and $50,000 to hire someone to do the construction. It would take up to eight months to complete the job.
It would have a more than 50-year lifespan with the added bonus that it would be able to carry vehicle traffic. City Administrator Jim Clifford recommended going with the third option, citing anticipated growth in the area around that section of the Greeneway.
“The fact that the Mealing tract is likely going to develop and probably tie into that Greenway connection, we’ll see some additional foot traffic on that bridge in the long term, along with other development that we know that’s going to be happening. So, I think this is probably a viable option and I would lean very heavily towards this one,” he said.
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Councilmembers and Mayor Briton Williams leaned toward the third option but did ask Zeaser to look into adding an arch, like the one at the entrance to Hammond’s Ferry at Crystal Lake Drive. Zeaser was instructed to bring council the cost of adding an arch to the prefabricated steel bridge.
Demolition of the damaged bridge will begin immediately.
In other action, Finance Director Cammie Hayes gave council the standard, quarterly update on the city’s finances, including those related to Riverside Village. This is the first update since council voted in March to grant the developer, Greenstone, a one-year extension on the 2017 contract it signed promising RSV would be complete within five years. Seven parcels in the city’s “Live, Work, Play” community remain undeveloped.
Hayes said the city’s audit has not yet been completed, but an update to the 10 largest taxpayers in the city does now include some of the RSV properties.
Information on the city’s indebtedness has not yet been updated, pending the completion of the audit.
“This is a table that’s part of the audit where our debt is disclosed in our financial statements that we will update. This includes our capital lease that we do for vehicles and equipment and the city as well as all of our other debt remaining pertaining to Riverside village as well as the public safety headquarters and our utilities, debt. So, all these figures will be updated once the audit is published,” she said.
Hayes said the city continues to recover from the financial impact of COVID-19 with increases reported in both the hospitality and accommodation taxes collected.
Hayes’ report has been posted to the Municipal Securities Rulemaking Board’s website. It can be accessed at: https://emma.msrb.org/ under the “North Augusta Public Facilities Corporation” listing.
Dana Lynn McIntyre is a general assignment reporter for The Augusta Press. Reach her at dana@theaugustapress.com
