Bigfork bridge options narrowed down

The Swan River Bridge Steering Committee has narrowed down repair ideas for the historic Bigfork steel bridge from 20 options to six. The next step is bringing those options to a community that has voiced a love affair with the aging landmark.

The 104-year-old bridge that serves downtown Bigfork hasn’t had major repairs since it was installed. Due to corrosion, the bridge has a three-ton load limit — the lowest limit acceptable before closure.

While the bridge is owned by Flathead County, the Bigfork community has become part of the conversation on how the bridge should look.

Wade Salyards with the Montana Department of Transportation said since the committee began meeting in March, it has balanced maintaining the structure’s historic value with creating a structurally adequate span.

The department has set Aug. 16 as a tentative date for the second public meeting to discuss the bridge’s future. The location has not yet been announced.

“We understand how important this is to the Bigfork community, which is why the next step is bringing them the choices we have at this point,” Salyards said.

Salyards said after receiving feedback from Bigfork residents on the remaining six options, the committee hopes to narrow it down to three possibilities.

He said while each choice considers community concerns, some involve repairing the bridge while others would replace it with a similar structure.

The steering committee is made up of department officials, Bigfork residents and engineers from KLJ Engineering.

So far, the committee has established several required objectives: maintaining the historic appearance of an overhead truss, providing a pedestrian walkway and increasing the load rating, according to meeting minutes.

The group also stated it’s important that the new structure is designed to last 75 years with money set aside for upkeep.

County Public Works Director David Prunty said that it’s been known for years that the town’s iconic bridge was due for repairs.

“We began applying for funding for the project two years ago,” Prunty said. “This is at least a $1 million project, and that’s our entire fund for all bridge repairs. We knew we would need help with this.”

Montana Department of Transportation officials have said federal money could be available to assist with repairing or replacing the bridge, although the money won’t be secured until designs for the project are complete.

Salyards said while each plan has general pricing estimates, it’s too early to give exact numbers on how much each project idea could cost.

He said when the six possible plans are delivered to the community, audience members will be told what ideas may be more expensive compared to others.

“For now, the focus is seeing their response and what direction to move forward,” Salyards said.

For a schedule of the Swan River Bridge Project or for more information, go to http://www.mdt.mt.gov/pubinvolve/bigforkbridge/documents.shtml.

Reporter Katheryn Houghton may be reached at 758-4436 or by email at khoughton@dailyinterlake.com.