Healdsburg's Russian River bridge is almost 90 years old, and for the past 20 years people have debated whether it can be saved or needs to be torn down.
Now, it looks like an answer is closer.
The City of Healdsburg last month began advertising for consultants to conduct a structural analysis, provide environmental review and engineering services to either rehabilitate or replace the bridge.
The city declared its preferred option is to replace the 1921 steel-truss bridge with a concrete bridge, formally described as a "cast-in-place, pre-stressed box girder concrete structure."
But the idea of replacing the picturesque old bridge with a concrete, box-like structure is abhorrent to residents like Richard Burg, who want to preserve the early 20th century span.
"Saving the bridge is really important. It slows people down. They can see the river, they can see the beach," he said. "It contributes to Healdsburg."
City officials said they also want consultants to study whether the bridge can be restored to meet modern standards.
"It doesn't meet current seismic safety standards," said Public Works Director Mike Kirn.
And during a flood "if there's significant erosion around the foundation and pile support, there is a possibility that support system could fail," he said.
Kirn noted that in 2006, the steel-truss Geyserville Bridge, built about the same time as Healdsburg's, was undermined by high water and had to be torn down.
It didn't come crashing down all at once, but was closed and eventually replaced with a box-like, modern design disliked
by bridge lovers.
In Healdsburg, the bridge is known as the Healdsburg Avenue Bridge or Memorial Bridge. It is rusting and visibly corroded in spots. But Healdsburg officials aren't ready to condemn it.
"I do not hesitate to use that bridge when I'm heading south from Healdsburg," said Mayor Eric Ziedrich.
"If you walk, or drive across the bridge, you do feel vibrations. That being said, I have been on it, or near, when very large trucks and numerous vehicles have crossed it. I know it continues to endure a high quantity of weight," he said.
"There's not any obvious evidence, any reason to be concerned about the integrity of the bridge," Ziedrich said.
The bridge once served as the main southern entrance to Healdsburg, part of the Old Redwood Highway before Highway 101 was moved to the west.
After the freeway was built, the bridge became the property of the city.
At one time it was rated the worst in Sonoma County in terms of structural safety.
On a scale of 1 to 100, with 1 being the worst, the 398-foot-long bridge was given a sufficiency rating of 2. The rating, dating from a Caltrans assessment in 1979, took into account corrosion and cracking, width, alignment and functionality.
But emergency structural reinforcements were made to the bridge. And last November, the bridge's rating improved to a rating of 46 following another inspection by Caltrans.
Public Works director Kirn said the old calculations made incorrect assumptions about the location of a couple of the pins on some of the truss connections.
After a more accurate measurement was made of the location of the pins, Caltrans determined that the bridge is able to withstand larger loads than currently posted.
"That's pretty good shape for a 1921 bridge," Caltrans spokesman Robert Haus said of the new rating. But he added that "bridges are like cars. The older they get, the more maintenance they need."
An underwater inspection last year found no increase in scouring of the bridge's pilings since the previous inspection in 2006.
But Kirn said the city isn't about to drop weight restrictions, which keep away large vehicles such as semi-trailer trucks, school buses and fire trucks.
"The lanes are very narrow and allowing larger trucks to go on there would cause a safety issue - just the vibration of the heavy loads," he said.
The bridge also is "fracture critical," he noted, meaning "critical members don't have redundancy. If one goes, it's the Bay Bridge scenario," he said, referring to last month's incident on the San Francisco Bay Bridge when two steel rods and a crossbeam came crashing down on the road into traffic.
Healdsburg officials expect to have answers about the bridge's sturdiness and an assessment of the various alternatives by the end of next year or by early 2011.
The city earlier this year was awarded $885,000 in federal funds for the engineering and environmental review.
And the bridge project is included in the Metropolitan Transportation Commission's regional transportation plan, making it eligible for state and federal funds.
A big unknown is when the money can be secured to replace, or repair the bridge.
Two years ago, a study estimated that rehabilitating the existing bridge would cost $13 million, although it would still be too narrow and provide no room for a bicycle lane.
Replacing the bridge with a modern, wider one was estimated at $23 million.
The most expensive option - $40 million - was to replace the current structure with a similar looking steel-truss design.
"My goal is to bring closure to the project in some fashion or another," said Kirn.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: