SIOUX FALLS, SD (KELO) — We’ve been keeping you updated on Sioux Falls street construction projects, including the temporary bridge going over Cliff Avenue.
But there’s another bridge project taking place on the east side of Sioux Falls that’s farther off the beaten path.
It didn’t take long for a decades-old pedestrian bridge on the west side of the Mary Jo Wegner Arborteum to come falling down.
“It was a pretty old bridge and the abutments were pretty undermined, so one guy with an excavator took care of it pretty quick,” City of Sioux Falls Park Development Manager Mike Patten said.
Now, this is all that’s left of what was a bridge back in time to the heyday of the old quarry town of East Sioux Falls.
“This was the main avenue of the town, which had a bridge back then, too. So yeah, there’s a lot of history to it that we’re trying to preserve,” Mary Jo Wegner Arboretum Executive Director Mike Cooper said.
A 90-foot long replacement will span the empty space over the creek next spring.
“The new bridge will be a pre-engineered, manufactured steel bridge similar to what you’d see on the recreational trail where it’s got that weather, steel, natural look with the wood surfacing,” Patten said.
The water is just a trickle right now, but it was a much different story earlier this year, when spring flooding caused by heavy rain overflowed the banks of this creek, forcing the bridge to shut down.
“And just a ton of water came down this small creek and it just exposed some issues with the abutments and structural support and so that was really the catalyst to close this off and get this bridge replaced,” Patten said.
The trail will remain closed until the replacement bridge is installed. Then, visitors can resume their hikes through this area of the arboretum, enjoying all the scenery, every step of the way.
The bridge replacement project costs $260,000.
The plan includes adding quartzite stone along the concrete abutments to add a historic look to the new bridge.
