[FONT=Verdana][SIZE=2]The Washington County, MN Board of Commissioners approved a contract for the demolition of "Bridge 5600" at their meeting Feb. 10. The bridge once connected St. Paul Park to Inver Grove Heights and carried both trains and vehicle traffic.

Washington County is the lead agency on the bridge's fate, according to Dakota County Commissioner Thomas Egan.

The deadline for demolition of the Washington County portion is April 15. An extended deadline of June 15 has been agreed upon for the rest of the bridge that there is interest in preserving.

"It's about time," said Washington County Commissioner Myra Peterson. The bridge is being torn down because it poses a safety hazard, according to information from the county. The east side of the bridge suffered a partial collapse in November. "I just don't want the fiduciary responsibility of having a failing bridge on my side of the county line," Peterson said.

The bridge was opened to pedestrian traffic for one day in October. Peterson said that when crossing, "I took my worry beads, my rosary and my rabbit's foot -- and I'm a Lutheran."

While Washington County says 'good riddance,' the City of Inver Grove Heights, the National Park Service, and Dakota County legislators have all expressed an interest in preserving a 700-foot expanse of the Dakota County side of the bridge and converting it into a pier for viewing the river and surrounding scenery.

The extension allows the entities to gather the "wherewithal," i.e. money, to follow through with the preservation, said Egan. Removing part of the bridge, and restoring a single deck for public use, was estimated to cost $6 million to $7 million by a 2007 draft bridge reuse summary report prepared for Dakota and Washington counties. Restoration would require dismantling the trusses, setting them on the shoreline, replacing the pylon foundations, and then proceeding with reconstruction.

Public Works director of Washington County Wayne Sandberg called the two deadlines a "good compromise. On our side our piece is falling down.... we had to do something quick; we don't want anyone to get hurt."

State Rep. Joe Atkins and Senator James Metzen have introduced legislation that would put a moratorium on demolition of the Dakota County side of the bridge for two years. Those bills await hearings by their respective Transportation committees.

The Washington County Board designated the bridge removal as an emergency project on Dec. 23, and will use money from a state aid disaster account to pay for it.

The contract was awarded to Veit and Company, Inc. for both sides of the
bridge. Demolition is scheduled to begin this month, and the engineering will be managed by the Minnesota Department of Transportation. The contract holds a contingency that no demolition will take place on the Dakota County side until the deadline. If an agreement to preserve part of the bridge is reached by that time, the company will deconstruct the Dakota County trusses and set them on the riverbank, which would allow for reconstruction of the piers necessary for restoration. If the money and will cannot be found, they will complete the demolition.[/SIZE][/FONT]