Talbott Urges Halt To Lincoln Bridge Work Spending On Design Work Wrong While Panel Studies Issue, He Says

Spokane mayoral candidate John Talbott called on city leaders Monday to halt design work on the proposed Lincoln Street bridge while a citizens committee studies the project.

Talbott criticized Mayor Jack Geraghty and the City Council for continuing to spend money on the project’s design while the committee decides whether the bridge is necessary.

“Let’s stop spending and wasting taxpayer money if we’re serious about” listening to the committee, Talbott said to about 10 people gathered on the mezzanine level of the Ridpath Hotel.

He also called on the council to put the committee’s recommendation to a public vote.

Last month, the council asked members of the citizens committee that chose the bridge design four years ago to thoroughly review the project. They were given 60 days to decide whether the old reasons for building the bridge remain valid.

“Thirty days have passed and the committee has yet to meet,” Talbott said.

He said the decision to reunite the committee was merely “a public relations gimmick to stop discussion on this bridge.”

Geraghty said the council decided to expand the original committee, which delayed the first meeting. On Monday, the council added eight people to the original 21-member committee.

“It takes a little time to get that all together,” Geraghty said, adding the council will delay the 60-day deadline if necessary.

He also hopes they would come up with recommendations on how to manage the gorge as a natural resource, he said.

Geraghty also defended the city’s decision to continue working on the bridge design.

“Two months isn’t going to make that much difference in terms of money,” he said, adding nothing so far has caused the council to reconsider a 1993 decision to build the bridge.

“I’m willing to do that, but right now, I haven’t seen good reasons to do that,” Geraghty said.

Talbott said at least $1 million had been spent on the bridge design so far.

Project manager Brad Blegen said it’s more like $1.6 million. The city has a $3.2 million contract with CH2M Hill to design the bridge, and the engineering firm is about halfway done, he said.

About $5 million already has been spent on the $36 million project, including the contract with CH2M Hill and the $2.6 million purchase of the Salty’s restaurant site at the north end of the proposed bridge.

, DataTimes MEMO: This sidebar appeared with the story: MEETING The Lincoln Street Bridge Citizen Advisory Committee will meet Wednesday at 2 p.m. in the Champions Room of the Spokane Arena, 720 W. Mallon.