[Vision2020] City to move ahead with pedestrian bridge

[Moscow Cares]

Courtesy of today’s (July 24, 2018) Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

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City to move ahead with pedestrian bridge
Third Street structure will likely be more expensive, installed at later date than council directed

The proposed temporary portable bicycle and pedestrian bridge on Third Street is likely to be a little more expensive than what the Moscow City Council approved at last week's council meeting.

It will also be constructed later than anticipated.

Moscow Public Works Director Les MacDonald told the Moscow City Council Public Works/Finance Committee on Monday initial indications suggest the cost of the bridge, which would span Paradise Creek and connect Third Street to Mountain View Road, will be more than $50,000 and would be completed anywhere from mid-January to sometime in the spring.

On July 16, the council unanimously approved to direct city staff to find and install a temporary portable bike and pedestrian bridge under the conditions the purchase of the structure be completed by the end of fiscal year 2018 - Sept. 30 - the cost of the bridge be under $50,000 to avoid any bidding process and the bridge be open to the public by the end of the calendar year.

Since the cost of the bridge will likely be more than $50,000, MacDonald said the city would be required to participate in a bidding process.

MacDonald said it is not a very long process and staff has worked it into the schedule, so he believes it is "very achievable" to order the bridge by the end of September.

While MacDonald said the preliminary schedule indicates completion of the bridge around the middle of January, weather and staffing could pose delays, MacDonald said.

He said concrete work is not ideal to perform during cold winter months.

"We're just a bit at the mercy of the weather conditions," MacDonald said.

MacDonald asked that the council direct city staff to proceed with the pedestrian bridge project but move the completion date to sometime in the spring to accommodate potential weather and delivery issues.

"I think if there is willingness on the part of the council to work with a spring completion date, I think that does give us more flexibility," MacDonald said.

Committeeman Jim Boland, who made the motion last week, said he is willing to work on the installation timeline change and that his deadlines made in the motion were just a starting point for the project.

"If we placed it in late November, it will probably get precious little use before March anyway," Boland said.

The council last week also rejected bids for the multimodal project, which was budgeted for $580,000 this fiscal year, as the bids came in much higher than the city expected.

Boland said he wants the city to rebid the multimodal bridge after the temporary bridge is installed.

Last week, Boland said the temporary bridge could be transported and installed over Paradise Creek on the other side of town to help connect the Hello Walk, which is currently located on the University of Idaho campus but is expected to stretch to the intersection of Sixth and Jackson streets.

MacDonald told the Daily News Monday that the city has ideas of where the temporary bridge could be transported and that Boland's idea is a possibility.

The council will discuss the timeline of the temporary bridge and when it wants the city to rebid the multimodal bridge at its next council meeting Aug. 6.

The committee also discussed and was receptive to the implementation of a dockless bicycle share program within the city.

Rebecca Couch, UI director of parking and transportation services, told the Daily News last week that the UI expects to launch a Spin dockless bicycle share program the week of Aug. 13 before students return to Moscow.

While the university and city would have its own agreement with Spin, the bike-sharing company, the plan is to implement 100 standard bikes that could be used and parked in the city or on campus starting next month, MacDonald said.

The program will allow riders to unlock the bikes using Spin's mobile application, ride it to the bicyclist's desired destination and drop it off within the boundaries, which

MacDonald said have not been set yet but would be within the city limits.

He said the city needs to decide if any areas will be "geo-fenced," or spots where riders will not be able to park the bike, out.

MacDonald said Spin would also like to add 50 to 75 electric scooters in 2019.

The council will consider implementing the bike share program Aug. 6.

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Seeya 'round town, Moscow, because . . .

"Moscow Cares" (the most fun you can have with your pants on)
http://www.MoscowCares.com
  
Tom Hansen
Moscow, Idaho
    
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