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Council presses staff for alternatives as Bice Road bridge project nears federal grant deadlines
Summary
Council members raised safety, design and timing concerns about the Bice (Vice) Road bridge replacement project, urged staff to explore non-'pinch' design options and requested additional information for the April 14 council meeting because federal and GDOT grant timing requires approval soon.
Council discussed the proposed Bice Road bridge replacement and related contract on March 24, focusing on schedule, funding deadlines and pedestrian safety. Staff said federal funding for the project is tied to the federal fiscal year (funding availability through June 30), and approvals now are needed to secure grant dollars and move the project into construction.
Residents and councilmembers urged caution about closing another road while several other capital projects (notably Jones Bridge) remain under construction. One councilmember asked whether the Bice Road closure could be sequenced to avoid overlapping disruptions; staff said the Bice Road closure is planned to begin after midsummer and the project timeline is conservative, with the goal of reopening the road before the end of the calendar year.
Councilmembers raised persistent design concerns: they asked about sidewalk and trail width across the new bridge, whether a pedestrian buffer or guardrail would separate people from traffic, and whether the bridge design would "pinch" the pedestrian strip and remove the grassy buffer that contributes to the road’s character. Staff answered that the design includes a trail on one side and a sidewalk on the other, that the bridge will be wider than the existing structure but that every additional foot raises project cost and could trigger a re‑engineering if council requests a non‑pinch version.
Assistant City Manager Haggard said the project’s federal and GDOT funding timeline requires action now to secure grants and that staff would bring additional details, critical-path issues and potential options to the April 14 council meeting so members could decide whether to proceed or seek design revisions.
Next steps and direction: Council asked staff to prepare an alternative (non‑pinch) design option if feasible, to report sidewalk widths and cross‑section drawings, and to identify which changes would require re‑engineering and how that would affect grant timelines. The council did not award the contract at the work session; staff said the project will be presented as a new-business item on April 14 with the relevant federal and GDOT timing information included.
Why it matters: The project uses federal and state funds with deadlines that affect whether the city can access grant money this fiscal year; design decisions also bear on pedestrian safety and neighborhood character.
