COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – The Old U.S. 12 bridge has been removed after engineers determined last August it was no longer safe to walk across or drive a boat underneath it.
The decision to close the bridge which was built in 1920 was made after the bridge underwent an inspection from engineers at Fishbeck, Thompson, Carr and Huber.
They determined that many of the primary elements displayed extreme section loss and that the bridge was an extreme hazard for pedestrian traffic. They recommended it should be taken out of service immediately.
City Manager Keith Baker says in his report for Monday’s Coldwater City Council meeting that the existing water main that serves Pilot Knob is suspended over the river by a new steel beam. The installation of fencing to keep people from getting to close to the edge of the abutments or getting to the water main is the last step of the project.
Immediate plans for a replacement bridge had to be put on the back burner recently. An inspection of the abutments of the old bridge found they were not suitable for the direct installation of a new pedestrian bridge. New pilings and foundations would have to be put in, which would require the lengthening of the proposed bridge and significantly increase the cost.
