Politics & Government

Saline to Replace Bowley Bridge at Mill Pond Park

The bridge is named for former Brecon, Wales, Mayor Arthur T. Bowley, who helped forge the relations between his city and Saline.

The is replacing the Bowley Bridge at .

At Monday’s meeting, Saline City Council voted 5-1 to spend $12,900 to replace the small wooden bridge, named for the late Arthur T. Bowley, the former Mayor of Brecon, Wales, Saline’s sister city. Council’s decision is contingent upon the Parks and Recreation Board’s approval. The parks board meets Tuesday night.

The Bowley Bridge, found to be lacking after a recent structural study, will be replaced by a $12,900, 25-by-6-foot steel truss bridge, similar to the bridge installed at Curtiss Park.

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The new bridge should be installed this year after the Celtic Festival. It, too, will be known as the Bowley Bridge.

As part of the Mill Pond Park CMI Grant Project, a structural engineer inspected and analyzed the Bowley Bridge. The inspection showed an estimated live capacity of 30 pounds-per-square-foot, far short of standards, which call for a minimum live load capacity of 85 pounds-per-square-foot, according to a memo to council from Department of Public Works Director Jeff Fordice. Several option were considered, including reinforcement of the existing bridge, designing and building a similar bridge from dimensional lumber, purchasing a pre-engineered wood bridge kit and assembling it, purchasing a wood bridge, and purchasing a pre-engineered steel truss bridge. Fordice said the steel truss bridge was the most cost-effective option. He noted there was a slim chance the cost of the bridge may be covered in part by the grant that is helping fund the improvements at Mill Pond Park.

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The new bridge is slightly wider than the old bridge to meet American Disability Act standards.

Councilor Pat Ivey said he believed it was important that the Bowley Bridge be restored.

“The Bowley Bridge is named after the Mayor of our sister city. It’s a very important symbol of Mr. Bowley’s reaching out to the city of Saline. Mr. Bowley’s efforts resulted in our cities having great relations,” he said.

The councilor to vote against the motion was Glenn Law, who said he was unhappy with the way the similar steel truss bridge at Curtiss Park handled the weather.

“The steel bridge bled on the walls and it looked really unattractive,” Law said. “It looks clear now that it has been painted. I hope we don’t have the same situation.”

Councilor David Rhoads said he hated to see old bridge go, noting that he met his wife in the middle of the Bowley Bridge. He asked Fordice if there are plans to incorporate the bridge elsewhere in the park, perhaps as part of a play structure.

Fordice said there were no plans for the bridge at this time.

The 6,000 pound bridge is being purchased from Waterford-based Art Thureson, Inc.


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