A runner and a cyclist cross over Ann Arbor's 1976 Gallup Park bridge on July 24, 2022, using the center automobile lane. City officials are now making plans to replace it with a new bridge with wider shoulder lanes for pedestrians and cyclists.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
ANN ARBOR, MI — The old wooden vehicle bridge that crosses over the Huron River in Gallup Park has seen better days, as those who walk, run, cycle and drive over it can attest.
Ann Arbor officials are now putting hundreds of thousands of dollars toward finalizing a design for a new bridge to replace the 1976 structure used by both pedestrians and cars.
City Council voted 10-0 this past week to approve a roughly $286,000 contract with engineering firm Wade Trim Associates Inc. to prepare construction plans for a replacement bridge and road and trail adjustments around it, so the city can then put the project out to bid for construction.
City Council recently allocated $2.3 million of the city’s federal stimulus funds for the project.
The city of Ann Arbor worked with consultants from SmithGroup and Wade Trim to come up with a preferred design concept for a new Gallup Park bridge and related road and trail improvements, as shown in this image from a June 2021 report. Under a new contract, Wade Trim now will do more detailed design engineering and prepare construction plans.City of Ann Arbor
A 2018 bridge inspection report described the timber structure in fair to poor condition with several high-priority repairs needed and suggested considering replacement. Some repairs were made to get by until replacement could happen, but city officials now say the bridge is at the end of its useful life.
The bridge connects areas on the north side of the river, including the city’s Gallup Park canoe and kayak livery, to areas along the south side, including playgrounds and the Border-to-Border Trail. It’s also how cars get from Fuller Road to the Gallup Park parking lots along the south side of the river.
The city has highlighted several issues with the existing bridge, including:
Deteriorating bridges in 2 popular Ann Arbor parks need repair or replacement
The city already worked with consultants from SmithGroup and Wade Trim to come up with a preferred design concept for the new bridge and related road and trail improvements in recent years. It’s the city’s intent to replace the bridge with the recommended concept shown in their June 2021 report.
Under the contract approved this past week, Wade Trim will do more detailed design engineering.
The city of Ann Arbor worked with consultants from SmithGroup and Wade Trim to come up with a preferred design concept for a new Gallup Park bridge and related road and trail improvements, as shown in this image from a June 2021 report. Under a new contract, Wade Trim now will do more detailed design engineering and prepare construction plans.City of Ann Arbor
The previous study involved community engagement to define goals for the bridge replacement and evaluated alternatives, resulting in a preferred cross-section concept for the new bridge with one 12-foot-wide lane for automobiles and a 10-foot-wide shared-use path for pedestrians and cyclists on each side.
Timber rails are proposed to serve as guardrails and buffers between vehicles.
“Traffic calming and more room for pedestrians and bicyclists were the most important factors in this recommendation,” the city’s plans state. “The new vehicular bridge is proposed to be located so the existing bridge can remain during construction. If not, the south side of the river will be inaccessible for four to five months. Locating the bridge directly west and adjacent to the existing bridge will keep the span to a minimum while avoiding the costliest nearby utilities to relocate.”
The city’s plans further state, “A concrete bridge will have the smallest beam depth and require the least amount of maintenance and a two-span bridge will also allow for a thinner beam depth creating less disruption and fill needed on site.”
A runner and a cyclist cross over Ann Arbor's 1976 Gallup Park bridge on July 24, 2022, using the center automobile lane. City officials are now making plans to replace it with a new bridge with wider shoulder lanes for pedestrians and cyclists.Ryan Stanton | The Ann Arbor News
The project meets the city’s sustainability goals of promoting active living and learning and providing transportation options, including important non-motorized links, Hillary Hanzel, a city parks landscape architect, told council in a memo.
During construction, the project will require inspection and oversight and the city intends to have Wade Trim perform that work under a contract amendment, Hanzel said, explaining the city is waiting on approving that until further in the design process when there’s a better understanding of the scope.
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