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Congresswoman Miller Meeks announces $6 million federal award to replace Burlington’s Cascade Bridge
Summary
U.S. Rep. Miller Meeks announced $6 million in federal community project funding for Burlington’s Cascade Bridge replacement. City officials said the bridge—closed to vehicles since 2008 and pedestrians since 2018—will move to design, an MOA with the State Historic Preservation Office, bidding next spring and about a year of construction.
BURLINGTON, Iowa — U.S. Rep. Miller Meeks announced that $6 million in federal community project funding is on its way to Burlington to support the Cascade Bridge Replacement Project, officials said at a city press event.
“This funding is on its way to Burlington to support the Cascade Bridge Replacement Project,” Miller Meeks said, describing the award as the result of community support and a competitive selection process that required interviews and committee approval. She said the funds have passed Congress and been signed by the president.
Council member Kay Weiss framed the award as a historic community win for a structure built in 1896 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places. “The Cascade Bridge…has remained closed to vehicles and pedestrians, leaving a gap in our roadways and a broken link to our treasured park system,” Weiss said.
City officials and the congresswoman highlighted what comes next: public engagement, a memorandum of agreement with the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) to address the bridge’s historic status, an expected bid solicitation in the spring, and roughly one year of construction once work begins. “We expect to bid out sometime next spring and then construction shortly to follow. It’ll be about a year [of] construction,” deputy city manager for public works Nick McGregor said.
Officials noted the bridge’s closure has practical impacts. Speakers said the crossing has been closed to vehicular traffic since 2008 and to pedestrians since 2018, interrupting an east–west route used by emergency vehicles, school buses and residents and leaving a gap in the Great River Road national scenic byway.
City finance officials and advisers told reporters the project has been budgeted at roughly $10 million and that the city has modeled the work as a two-series bond issue. The federal award would reduce the city’s borrowing needs and the resulting tax burden but not eliminate the need for local financing, officials said.
Nick McGregor cautioned earlier reconstruction attempts stalled because of cultural- and preservation-related reviews and a lack of sufficient city funding. He said the city now has consensus with SHPO and Iowa DOT on replacing the bridge and must finalize an MOA to memorialize how the replacement will honor historic characteristics.
Taylor Collins, a local representative, and other partners joined city leaders in thanking community stakeholders and the congressional delegation for advocacy. City Manager Chad Bird and council members said they will continue outreach and provide more detailed design and schedule information to residents as the project moves into procurement.
The city did not announce a final contract award or exact construction start date at the event; officials said those will depend on the MOA, the public-engagement process and the bidding timeline.
The press event closed with acknowledgments to local partners; Mayor John Bips was noted to have sent regrets and a token of appreciation.
