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Sandy mayor dedicates rebuilt Willow Green Circle bridges after federal grant pays nearly $3 million
Summary
Mayor Zoltanski and city and contractor officials dedicated two rebuilt bridges at Willow Green Circle in Sandy after federal Bridge Formula funding allowed replacement without a large property-tax increase. City and contractor speakers described construction constraints, utility coordination and a projected 75-year design life.
Mayor Zoltanski opened a public dedication at Willow Green Circle in Sandy, announcing the completion of two rebuilt bridges that serve as the only vehicular access for two neighborhoods.
“These bridges were first constructed in the early nineties and were annexed into Sandy City in 2016,” Public Works Director Ryan Kump said, explaining why the city pursued replacement after evaluating premature structural failure. “We needed about $3,000,000 to complete the rebuild of these 2 bridges, and that would have necessitated a huge property tax for our city, about 20%.”
The project was funded with federal money obtained through the Bridge Formula grant program, Kump said, and because preliminary design work was already complete the site was fast-tracked for replacement. Kump described the bridges as “twins” that required staged construction to maintain one lane of access for residents and emergency vehicles while half of each bridge was rebuilt at a time. He also said coordinating communications, water, gas and power utilities required substantial effort to minimize disruption.
Brian, a Utah Department of Transportation representative, said the project differed from larger state highway jobs because “we have all these homes around us, not very much room to stage our equipment, to bring in materials.” He added, “I believe they were designed for 75 years,” when asked about expected lifespan.
Larry Brown of Pride Construction, the general contractor, described on-site challenges including winter weather and tight staging space, and said his crews worked into the season and paused work around Christmas during storms.
Kump and Zoltanski said the city avoided placing the cost on local taxpayers after the federal grant—Kump noted the city received “nearly $3,000,000 in federal funding”—and emphasized public-safety benefits from restoring reliable access across Little Cottonwood Creek. Zoltanski invited residents to walk the new sidewalks and said the bridges will improve connectivity and emergency access for generations.
No council votes or formal municipal actions were taken during the dedication; the event was a ceremonial opening and remarks by city staff, the contractor and transportation representatives. Funding, project history and construction details provided during the ceremony were described as follows: initial construction in the early 1990s; annexation of the area into Sandy City in 2016; design work begun after the 2016 evaluation; roughly $3 million cost estimate; staged replacement of two bridges to maintain access; coordination with utilities; and a design life the UDOT representative stated as 75 years.
The dedication closed with mayoral remarks thanking staff, contractors and residents for cooperation during construction and encouraging public use of the new bridge and sidewalks.
