The Spokane City Council decided to spend $1.45 million of American Rescue Plan (ARP) funds to repair the Don Kardong Bridge that is part of the Centennial Trail near Gonzaga University.
“It’s clear to me this is a super priority for us,” said Breeann Beggs, council president.
He said the bridge is an important pedestrian connector for District 1 in the city.
Councilor Michael Cathcart expressed concern about spending the federal funds on the bridge when the city needed more behavioral health services, housing and economic development opportunities.
“My concern is that there’s a lot of investment needed in Northeast Spokane, and I wasn’t sure of it happening as some of this money gets spent in other areas,” said Cathcart, who represents District 1.
With that said, he joined his peers in adding the final piece to the funding puzzle for the repair project with a vote on Monday night.
“Ultimately, I don’t want to vote against a project that is important for Northeast Spokane for the hope that it will get other funding, so I’m just going to continue to beat the drum,” said Cathcart.
Beggs said he was confident that the council would find funding for the projects that Cathcart named and others across the city
The Kardong Bridge connects the University District with downtown Spokane and is part of the 39-mile Centennial Trail. The bridge is used by about 160,000 pedestrians a year but, without an estimated $2.3 million in repairs, is at risk of closure, according to city records.
The city’s Parks and Recreation Department is responsible to maintain and repair the sector of the trial within its jurisdiction; and the rest is maintained by Washington State Parks.
Spokane’s parks department previously secured a $726,000 grant from the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, and $145,000 from the Friends of Centennial Trial and University District Public Development Authority.
The council decided to move ahead with the final funding in the package because the project has to be completed by spring 2023 to retain those grants.
Preliminary work, such as design and draft bid documents, has already been completed, so the city’s funding addition will now allow the project to go out for construction bidding, which is expected to open in early spring.
The work to be done on the bridge includes deck replacement from wood to concrete, some pier repair, replacement of the bridge overlooks and guardrails, installation of a new lighting system and barriers at each end to block vehicle incursion.
“The missing piece was additional funding, and bridges are expensive to repair. When we have to allocate a large amount of our Parks and Recreation budget to bridges, our neighborhood parks don’t get the resources they need and deserve,” said Garrett Jones, director of City of Spokane Parks & Recreation, in a Wednesday press release.
Earlier this month, the parks department also received $1.1 million in ARP funds authorized by the council for upgrades to restrooms and playgrounds.
