Public comments on bridge design

By Lauren Radomski (Contact) | The Daily Journal

Published Tuesday, April 22, 2008

Looks may not be everything, but they were the order of business Monday at a forum on the Tower Road bridge design.

The gathering at City Hall offered residents, city council members and Fergus Falls staff a chance to survey the three bridge designs crafted by SRF Consulting Group, Inc. Each rendering showed the same structural design: a three-span, concrete bridge stretching 462 feet across the Otter Tail River featuring two lanes of vehicle traffic and a pedestrian walkway.

Where the designs differ, said Tom Thorson of SRF, is in their aesthetic details — details so small they do little to differentiate one bridge from another cost-wise.

“Our goal today (is) to talk about the appearance of the bridge,” Thorson said. “We take (input) back and we build our design based on your feedback.”

“What we’re looking for is some favoritism or decision-making from the general public and the council,” said City Engineer Dan Edwards, adding that final decisions will come at a later date. “All they’re trying to do now is narrow it down.”

The three bridge depictions on display Monday differed in features such as railing design, with one option a series of alternating half circles and another a crossbuck pattern of Xs.

The railing will be located on the east side of the bride along the pedestrian path; a concrete barrier will separate the path from traffic, with another concrete barrier on the bridge’s west side.

A major feature of the bridge will be head developments at either end of the structure, providing a kind of plaza for people to step out on along the river.

From comments he heard Monday, Thorson said a pie slice-shaped plaza seemed to be more popular than the square-shaped alternative.

Thorson said he expected SRF to return with updated bridge designs in about a month. Construction on the project is scheduled to begin next year.