SPRING VALLEY — A large crowd gathered to hear an update on the Glade Avenue bridge project at the July 1 Spring Valley Village Board meeting. Attendees were informed that there would not be a public hearing on the item at the meeting, scheduling a separate hearing where all are welcomed at 6 p.m. July 21 at the community center.

The bridge was recently given its annual inspection, and because of deterioration to the concrete beams, bridge and south abutment, it was deemed no longer safe for vehicle traffic and was permanently closed. That brought the village to a few options that were presented at the June 3 meeting. The first option was said to cost an estimated $960,000, with the village receiving a state grant of $280,000 to remove the bridge, put in a culvert underneath to fill the void, add a retaining wall and add partial fill on top as well as a road rather than replacing it with a bridge. Another option presented was for $115,000 to replace the bridge with a sloped abutment reinforcement with structural fill and guard rails. The grant funding would likely be lost due to the scope change, but some options were laid out for what the excess money could be used for instead, including about a mile of road pavement in the village.

A primary concern mentioned by the public in June about the less costly option is the difficulty for emergency service vehicles to reach the affected residents.

Public Works Director Steven Kirby met with Pierce County Assistant Highway Commissioner Elliott Check, who said the county has a bridge aid program that Kirby originally thought they could utilize.

“I’ll just throw some numbers out there: $1 million project, $300,000 grant, $700,000 that was left. That county bridge program was going to cover 50% of what was left after the grant, so our cost for this would have been $350,000. Walked away from that meeting very high, thinking that this was all going to happen,” Kirby said. “About four hours later, I got a phone call that I was mistaken, villages are not eligible for this.”

Kirby also spoke with two of the four affected landowners, planning to speak to the other two in the near future. He said the largest expense is the walls and staying within the right of way, making up about $360,000. There is a way to potentially cut that cost through a property purchase.

“This may entail us purchasing a house that is currently for sale, or the owners are looking to get out of it. That would be, essentially, an investment for the project, and as soon as we get what we needed to in the backyard, we would be able to sell the house. There’s a lot of pieces that are going to have to go into this,” Kirby said. “Tentatively, we are thinking around half the original cost to go this route, minus the investment of the house.”

Kirby mentioned changing the landscape of the backyard may alter the property value, but it would still likely be less expensive than going that route without the investment. The belief is that the village would still receive the grant through the property purchase plan, but they would confirm with the state prior to the final decision being made.

The Public Works Department is exploring many options, ultimately presenting their findings to the village at a future meeting.

“Everything is back on the table,” Kirby said.