Monroe Bridge to open Sept. 19

Spokane residents will get a chance to walk over the Monroe Street Bridge before they can drive over it.

The Monroe Street Bridge will reopen on Monday, Sept. 19, after a weekend of bridge-top food, music and family activities.

It’s been more than 2 ½ years since the bridge was closed for a major overhaul that has entailed removing and replacing almost every surface other than the main arches, including the decking, columns and bovine skull-bedecked pavilions.

It was originally intended to reopen in June, but that date was pushed until late October when several problems were discovered with the bridge’s north and south piers.

The city made up about six weeks, however, after authorizing additional work crews.

That was possible because the project is still under its $20 million budget, said Spokane senior engineer Jerry Sinclair.

It also helped that the south bridge pier was in better shape than crews originally thought five months ago.

“People really see this as a symbol of their community, so a lot of people are excited to see us give this bridge new life,” said city spokeswoman Marlene Feist.

The city’s celebrations are being sponsored by Global Credit Union and David Evans and Associates, which has been a key contractor on the bridge project.

Feist said the festivities will feature vintage cars, music, modern and old bicycles, and even biplanes flying over the bridge.

Spokane Preservation Advocates are organizing the Friday night gala, which will feature an early dinner, silent auction and music. Details, including the ticket price, are still being finalized.

The Monroe Street Bridge project is a superb example of historic preservation, said Suzanne Markham, the group’s events coordinator.

“A lot of people have a very sentimental attachment to the bridge and the architecture of the bridge. Second to the clock tower, it’s one of our most memorable structures in town,” she added.

The Monroe Street Bridge, designed by famed local architect Kirtland Cutter, first opened in 1911.

Noted for its large concrete arch and eerie bovine skull decorations, the bridge was Spokane’s major river crossing point for years.

By the time it closed in January 2003, however, it was showing its geriatric age.

Several of the supporting columns were cracked or even broken, rusted rebar poked out on the bridge’s underside, and large semi trucks had taken out several of the skull sculptures.

Rather than start anew, city engineers determined that the historic bridge could be rehabilitated.

But the two-plus years it has been closed have been difficult for businesses just north of the river.

Shirley Williams has been displaying the number of days the bridge has been closed on the reader board of her restaurant, Charley’s Grill and Spirits.

Come Monday that total will be up to 921 days, Williams said Friday.

“They shouldn’t have taken this long. They should have worked 16 hours a day from the beginning to get this thing done,” Williams said.

She has watched her business steadily decline since the bridge’s closure.

As for the parties, Williams said Charley’s hasn’t been invited to participate.

“You’d think they’d get the small business involved,” she said.