Change in bridge plans

When it comes to discussing a change in plans announced last week improving safety on the Escanaba River Bridge between Escanaba and Gladstone, we don’t feel we’ve received all assurances that safety is priority one. And, of the assurances we did receive, none were overwhelming.

A few years ago the state announced it would replace the bridge, due to safety reasons. Now, after spending $1 million on engineering and other studies to replace the bridge, the state has announced it can make the bridge acceptably safe simply by refurbishing it.

Cost of new: $15.4 million. Rehab: $3.3 million.

We’d like to have blind faith in the state balancing costs and safety, without safety taking a back seat. But local residents who travel that bridge countless times during any given year can’t afford to practice that blind faith.

State officials who explained the change weren’t exactly overpowering in their assurances. We suspect they found themselves between a rock and a hard place, and they didn’t play much of a role in requisitioning the rock or the hard place.

One state Department of Transportation official said as far as safety in concerned, revamping the bridge will improve the safety of the bridge, however not as much as building a whole new one.

“Our main hope was to bring the bridge up to current design standards,” said the official. “That’s our goal on any road or bridge we are replacing — we’re hoping that the project will improve safety.”

The official said MDOT does not consider the bridge to be unsafe. “Certainly either of these projects we would expect to improve safety. We can always do better,” he said.

Wow. If he was using those types of words to try to sell us a used car, we’d kick the tires twice and look under the hood three times.

The timing couldn’t have been better.

This story broke on a day that we also received an update on a major national story.

A negotiator reported a deal had been reached to compensate victims of the Minneapolis Aug. 1 bridge collapse. That’s the one that killed 13 people and injured 145 others.

Like we said, terrible timing.

Now, if the bridge can be repaired and guaranteed safe, great.

But so far assurances from the state have pretty much ended up consisting of mixed messages.

Last week they assured us a repair would make the bridge safe. Way back when they assured us a new bridge would be safest.

If a lack of funding is compromising local safety, then we have a big problem with that. Maybe our state Rep. Tom Casperson, R-Escanaba, needs to do a little digging on our behalf.

Not only is there the possibility that our safety has been compromised, but the state spent a whole lot of money just to have more studies that will end up sitting on a shelf. What a waste.

The Daily Press

Escanaba