No one argued the need to replace the East Stadium Boulevard bridges over State Street and the Ann Arbor railroad tracks tonight during the first of two public meetings on the project.
But there were plenty of questions about how to get it done with the least disruption to the surrounding neighborhoods and how to fund the $23 million project.
About 50 people attended the session, held by the city of Ann Arbor in the Pioneer High School cafeteria. Posters showing the plans and a PowerPoint presentation were followed by small-group question-and-answer sessions.
Senior project manager Mike Nearing said the temporary fix of the bridge over State Street, which was approved by the City Council on Oct. 19, is on track to begin Nov. 15 and will last two or three days.
But the gap in the pavement that the work will create to prevent chunks of concrete from falling off will be there until construction to replace the bridges begins, he added. That phase won't begin until November 2010, and could last until July 2012, according to a preliminary timeline presented tonight.
Many at the meeting were concerned about the possibility of traffic through their neighborhoods during construction.
Matt Toschlog, who lives nearby, said the detour was his only real concern.
"My kids walk to school," he said.
On the whole, Toschlog said he was happy the crumbling bridge would be replaced.
"I'd just like to see the full project get done," he said.
Bob Berarducci and Paula Malone, neighbors on Park Place, also wanted information on possible detours.
"I have no problem with the project, I'm just a little concerned about the traffic," Berarducci said.
"It has to happen, no doubt about that," Malone said.
The project will also involve some features neighbors found positive, such as closing off access from Rose and White streets to Stadium Boulevard to create an easier pedestrian path between two sections of Rose-White park. Also, the deck of the new bridge over State would be 19 feet wider than the current one to accommodate a larger sidewalk and bike lanes.
But funding is an unresolved issue. The entire project would cost $23 million, according to information provided at the meeting, including $5.6 million for the construction of the two bridges, $8.9 million to rebuild retaining walls and approach roads, $2.26 million for design and $4 million for construction engineering and inspection.
The city has applied for $21 million of federal stimulus money, Nearing said, and expects to hear back on that request in February. The project also has received support from U.S. Rep. John Dingell, D-Dearborn.
The best-case funding scenario presented at the meeting involves the city receiving that money and contributing $2 million itself. The worst case - with zero federal or state money and the entire funding coming from the city's road millage - would mean a suspension of all repaving projects until 2013, officials said.
City planners also showed preliminary plans for an at-grade intersection in response to multiple suggestions from citizens to simply eliminate the bridges. But safety issues, resistance from the railroad company and state transportation officials, and right-of-way issues on State Street, made the idea unworkable. The geometry of an intersection there would also be dangerous, Nearing said, with the city's traffic modeling showing more than 20 accidents per year.
A second public meeting is scheduled for Dec. 1 at 6:30 p.m., also at Pioneer High School.
Freelance reporter Dan Meisler can be reached at danmeisler@gmail.com.
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