Council staff briefs on $55 million Question 2; $15 million proposed for bridges and culverts

Deputy City Manager Lisa Reynolds presented the city’s final study‑session briefing on Question 2 of a proposed general obligation bond at the May 10 meeting, describing a $55 million package that staff says aims to address streets, sidewalks and bridges.

Reynolds outlined the proposed split: $30 million for overlay and full‑ or partial‑depth pavement repair; $10 million for sidewalks and school‑related sidewalk needs; and $15 million dedicated to bridges, including a targeted $3 million subcomponent for large storm culverts that the public commonly considers bridges. City staff reported the city maintains an inventory of 68 bridges; Reynolds said roughly "5½ of those are currently closed" and that two of the closed bridges are already being advanced toward repairs with ARPA funds but that ARPA alone does not cover full repair costs.

Reynolds told the council that bridge conditions can deteriorate quickly and that the list of bridges needing attention has grown during bond planning — earlier lists of 14 candidate bridges had expanded to about 18. She said bids for single‑bridge repair packages have drawn little contractor interest and explained the staff strategy is to bundle multiple bridge projects together to attract bidders and improve contracting efficiency.

On prioritization Reynolds said the city will address closed structures first (named examples include Chrisler Avenue and some Kentucky Avenue bridges) and then prioritize by traffic counts, detour impacts, emergency‑response routing and the number of people affected. She also noted that roughly 21 large culverts in the city are substantial enough to be treated like bridges for repair planning.

No action was taken at the study session; Reynolds said staff will continue design and bid preparation on prioritized closures and pursue grant funding when available — but warned that bridge grant opportunities are limited and not guaranteed.