The bridge renovation is a project that’s been on Heber City’s agenda since last year. On Tuesday, the city council approved spending $212,000 to take care of it. As part of the agreement, the Central Utah Water Conservancy District will cover the other $70,000.
The district, which is the entity overseeing the project due to its connection to the Wasatch Canal system, reported the bridge is sagging, and its underside has deteriorated. City Engineer Russell Funk said the city first learned of the damage three years ago.
“I think that there obviously is issues with the sub-grade underneath, where it’s getting washed away, probably voids,” he said. “It obviously wasn’t built right. You know, 25 years ago to 29, whatever it was, I know that wasn’t that long ago, but I still think that our process for inspection and oversight, testing and oversight requirements are far superior to what it was.”
Funk told the council he would report back with more details about the structural issues as they become clearer with progress in the reconstruction.
Work will begin in mid-February. The early projected end date is April 1. Funk said the contractor has experience in similar projects, and it’ll have to pay fines for each day past April 15 it takes.
The bridge is between 600 North and 700 North. During construction, a stretch of Mill Road will close to traffic on both sides of the bridge.
Councilor Rachel Kahler pointed out that the closure will cut off traffic on a busy road that’s part of the school bus route. Funk said the decision to close down traffic, rather than allow one lane of traffic to stay open, was to cut down on the duration of the project.
“It’s not the ideal time of year to do this, without question, but it’s the only time of year there’s not constant flow in the canal, so the canal company and Central Utah Water require it to be done in the off-season,” Funk said. “So, the requirement of the of the contract is that it’s up and running again by April 15, which is usually the irrigation season. It was the contractor who has pushed it to now. I don’t see it as being a problem, and I think the bid is favorable enough right now that I think it’s in our best interests to move forward. We could put it off, but we would be bidding it out again, and it would be subject to market conditions and changes.”
The city included $350,000 in its 2021 budget for this project before it knew exactly how much it would cost.
