After the Ferrysburg City Council balked at paying for a second opinion on the condition of Smith’s Bridge, a woman who owns a summer home and a rental home in Ferrysburg offered to pay for another round of engineering inspection.
Ann Smith, who lives in Lansing but summers in Ferrysburg, committed up to $2,000 to pay for a second opinion.
The City Council voted 5-1 this week to accept Councilman Richard Carlson’s motion and Smith’s contribution. Councilwoman Kathleen Kennedy cast the lone dissenting vote.
“Council voted to let that happen, so we’re working to get it done,” City Manager Craig Bessinger said. “We’ll take any kind of help we can get. We always take free volunteers and free money.”
If a second engineer should come up with a different opinion on the health of the bridge over Smith’s Bayou, Smith said a third opinion may be necessary.
The May inspection report noted advanced deterioration of the bridge over the winter, but no place in the document did it recommend closing the bridge. However, on June 17, the City Council voted to close the bridge due to safety concerns. Pedestrian and bicycle traffic is still allowed after the bridge closed June 21.
The state requires bridge inspections every two years. Bessinger said the city has been paying about $2,000 every six months for inspections since the bridge has been deteriorating.
The cost estimate for replacing the bridge is $13 million. City officials have applied for grants in each of the past four years. The city will receive notice by the end of this year if it will be receiving any federal or state funds to pay for a new bridge.