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City staff recommends rejecting I‑35 bridge lighting bids, says troubleshooting points to lower-cost fix
Summary
City Manager Bradley Ford told the council staff recommends rejecting all proposals for the I‑35 bridge lighting project while public works continues diagnostics; staff said testing should finish in March and restoration could follow soon after.
City staff advised the Waco City Council on Feb. 4 to reject all current proposals for the I‑35 bridge lighting project and complete a further diagnostic review that staff said could lead to a lower‑cost repair plan.
Bradley Ford, the city manager, said Public Works had spent weeks troubleshooting the bridge lighting system and inspecting hundreds of fixtures. “We currently believe that we can solve the light issue at a much smaller cost and a much faster timeline,” he told the council, and recommended rejecting all proposals so staff can finish testing in March and advise next steps.
Council members expressed relief at the possibility of a less expensive repair. One councilmember noted the bridge lighting is a prominent downtown visual feature and said the city had earlier feared a multihundred‑thousand‑dollar problem. Ford and council indicated staff would return with a follow‑up report after the March testing is complete.
The work session item was listed on the agenda as Resolution 2025-097. The manager characterized the staff recommendation as preliminary; no formal council vote on rejecting proposals was recorded during the work session.
Council members also discussed the bridge’s value to downtown imagery and economic branding and commended public works staff for the diagnostic effort. Ford said the testing and troubleshooting work has identified specific points of failure and that staff expects to present options and cost estimates once testing concludes.
