Council schedules public hearing, bid dates for 24th Street Southwest bridge repair

The council voted to schedule a public hearing and a bid-opening timetable for the 24th Street Southwest Bridge Repair Project.

Council member moved to "establish 03/17/2026 at 12 p.m. for a public hearing on plans, specifications, form of contract and estimate of cost" and to set 04/08/2026 at 1 p.m. to receive and open bids, with those bids to be considered at the 04/21/2026 meeting; the motion was seconded and carried, the chair said.

Why it matters: the hearing and bid schedule advance the city's procurement for a bridge repair project that staff identified as needing replacement of a lower cross-frame member. Staff and council discussed how work might affect traffic and whether the bridge could remain partially open during repairs.

Staff member, who had reviewed the design photos, said the lower cross-frame member appears to be the component that must be replaced and cautioned that "whether or not traffic can be on the bridge when they're doing that, I don't know." Council members discussed staging the work so two lanes could be closed at a time because the bridge splits traffic into opposite directions.

The action clears the way for the city to receive contractor bids and for a future council meeting to consider award of the project. The council did not resolve whether local traffic could remain in place during the specific repair work; staff said the city will follow site reviews and the railroad/utility approvals as needed.

Next steps: the council will hold the public hearing on March 17, 2026, open bids on April 8, and consider received bids at the April 21 meeting.