The south bridge in Depot Park is fixed, said City of Clarkston Manager Carol Eberhardt.
Eberhardt said the repair happened after she, Councilwoman Sharron Catallo and DPW Employee Jason Miller met with Gary Tressel from Hubbell, Roth & Clark to discuss repairing the bridge.
‘It was determined the city should do a temporary fix in order to ensure the bridge will be safe this winter,? said Eberhardt.
Residents, especially teens, continued to use the bridge and knock down signs informing Depot Park visitors the bridge was closed.
Eberhardt said although the bridge was fixed temporarily, in the spring work will have to be done to rebuild or possibly remove the bridge.
Eberhardt told city council members that if the bridge was to be replaced, it would have to comply with Americans with Disabilities Act requirements.
‘This means the bridge will have to be 12 feet wide and the grade of the slope from the lift station down to the bridge will have to be changed to also be compliant,? said Eberhardt.
During the meeting regarding the bridge, there was also talks about removing the bridge entirely and rerouting visitors up to Main Street.
‘The group also discussed taking out the bridge and curving the walk way up to Main Street, creating a visible Main Street entrance to the park,? she said.
When the project is completed, the city will use some material from a resurfacing projected scheduled for spring along M-15.
Clarkston resident Cory Johnston, who closely monitors city meetings, said he believes there should have been documentation by a qualified engineer regarding what needed to be done for the bridge.
‘I don’t know how can they can say it’s safe,? said Johnston.
He said his biggest concern is, as far as he knows, the bridge was fixed based on opinions of people who may not know how to fix the bridge.
‘There’s nothing on the repair of bridge, not one record that engineers inspected the bridge,? said Johnston.
‘Someone with qualifications or certifications should have reviewed what was done to make sure it was safe.?
? Andrea Beaudoin