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Committee backs $224,793 design change to Fifth Street bridge project after hydraulic review
Summary
City engineers told the committee that hydraulic constraints outside city jurisdiction mean a full bridge replacement would not improve floodplain conditions; the committee recommended a design change order to widen and rehabilitate the existing structure and add pedestrian and vehicle improvements.
The Finance Committee recommended a contract modification with HDR Engineering for additional design work on the Fifth Street (Bridell) over Crow Creek project. The proposed change order, $224,793 funded from the 2019–22 optional 1% sales tax (the "fifth penny"), was recommended to the full council following a committee voice vote.
Tom Cobbs, city engineer, told the committee a hydraulic evaluation showed the project site’s floodplain is controlled by undersized box culverts under South Greeley Highway that lie outside city jurisdiction and are managed by the Wyoming Department of Transportation (WYDOT). Because the culvert restriction produces a backwater condition, Cobbs said replacing the structure would not improve hydraulic capacity at this location.
Cobbs said the change order adds a design alternative to widen the existing structure, plan revisions to accommodate the wider crossing, potential landowner easements and valuations, and other plan revisions. He said the widened alternative is expected to save taxpayer dollars compared with a full replacement while accomplishing goals to improve pedestrian connectivity and vehicle turning capacity; planned elements include a left-turn lane and a 10-foot and a 5-foot sidewalk. Todd Mattson of HDR added the amendment would rehabilitate the existing bridge so it would remain in service "for another 50 years."
Committee members asked staff to communicate with WYDOT about culvert capacity and cleanliness; Cobbs said he would contact WYDOT but noted the culvert size itself, not debris blockage, is the limiting factor in the hydraulic model. The committee moved and seconded the modification and voted to refer the matter to the full council.
The committee recorded the contract modification amount of $224,793 and identified the funding source as the fifth penny tax (2019–22).
