Ella Street canal bridge construction nearing completion

Construction on the Ella Street canal bridge project is nearing completion, with city officials expecting it to be done before the start of the 2020-2021 school year.

According to Mayor Aaron Montz, the bridge is anticipated to open to traffic on or before Aug. 14.

The construction is part of the city’s 2020 Pavement Repair Program, in which a total of approximately $850,000 was put towards resurfacing 89 miles of roadway, the Ella Street project, and more.

$509,000 was used to repair the existing Ella Street canal bridge, which had weight restrictions that prohibited traffic including fire trucks, snow plows, and school buses. Additionally, sidewalks are being widened on each side of the bridge to improve pedestrian safety and complete a connectivity component of the city’s Active Transportation Plan.

Planning is also underway for construction on the adjacent Ella Street River Bridge.

In June, the design process began for the river bridge. The estimated $4.5 million project is scheduled to begin construction in late 2022. The city has already successfully leveraged the road and bridge levy funds to secure $2 million in federal funding towards the project. The city intends to continue to pursue additional funding sources prior to the start of construction.

The Ella Street canal bridge near the water treatment plant is nearing completion. The bridge is expected to be completed well ahead of school returning, & at this time we anticipate it opening to traffic on or before Aug 14, 2020.

Photo credit: Rachel & Tim Hopple (and pups) pic.twitter.com/NpBearxWhA

— Mayor Aaron Montz (@MayorMontz) July 25, 2020