Monroe St. Bridge To Get Full Study

The Spokane City Council plans to move ahead with a full-blown study of the Monroe Street Bridge.

On Monday, council members agreed to ditch plans for a quick, $42,000 study of the bridge in favor of an in-depth look at what’s wrong with the structure.

City Manager Bill Pupo said city and state bridge engineers will draft bid specifications for the study. The request for proposals likely will go out for bid in late January, Pupo said.

Gale Olrich, interim director of planning and engineering services, said federal money may be available to help pay for the study, which could take up to six months.

City officials say they aren’t sure how much the full analysis will cost. Ten years ago, a complete study of the T.J. Meenach Bridge cost nearly $500,000.

City engineers have estimated that fixing the Monroe Street Bridge could cost from $8 million to $10 million, but that only includes fixing the bridge’s deck.

If serious structural work is needed, such as rebuilding the arches, the cost could increase dramatically, engineers said.

, DataTimes