WATERVILLE – In a unanimous vote, Waterville City Council approved the purchase of the 118-year-old Roche de Boeuf Interurban Bridge on June 8.
“Heroes, all of you,” said Save the Bridge Association member Janice Braida, leading a round of applause from the audience.
The city will pay the state $1.00 to purchase of the bridge once it is stabilized – and therefore insurable. Kokosing won the Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) contract to remove the bridge at a cost of $3.1 million, but after working with STBA, the city and Gov. Mike DeWine, ODOT asked Kokosing for a change order on the project. That new scope includes a partial demolition –removing the spandrel walls, fill dirt and the chunks of concrete in the river. That estimate came in around $4.2 million. Federal funds for the state to have the work done will cover up to $4.4 million.
Most of the cost is in installing a causeway and hauling out debris, said Municipal Administrator Jon Gochenour. If the bridge doesn’t collapse and is stable after the process, the city will take ownership and move on to the next step – working with STBA to raise funds to install a pedestrian and bike path on top of the remaining structure…