Two years after its removal, ‘crucial’ Greenbelt bridge to be restored
Two years after Idaho officials removed a Greenbelt bridge due to erosion concerns, the structure will be replaced, once again providing a key link on the pathway.
The Idaho Foundation for Parks and Lands announced Tuesday that it has secured enough funding to replace the Plantation Island Bridge, which connects Boise-, Garden City- and Ada County-owned portions of the Greenbelt.
The foundation anticipates the bridge, which was removed in its entirety in April of 2017, will be restored by April 6 at the latest, according to a news release.
Heavy snowfall in the winter of 2017 turned into high flows on the Boise River, which in turn eroded the edge of the island where the bridge sat. Last February, foundation officials told the Statesman the riverbanks would need to be rebuilt and cavities eroded under the bridge abutments would need to be filled in before the bridge could be replaced.
It cost about $200,000 to complete the repairs, according to the foundation’s news release. The foundation raised $117,000, and FEMA picked up the rest of the tab.
“When we publicized the need for private donations, we were overwhelmed with the community’s generosity,” Judy Peavey-Derr, a board member for the foundation, said in the news release. “We’ve had more than 170 private donations, from $5 individual donations to contributions in the tens of thousands.”
She also reiterated the significance of the bridge.
“It’s such an important nexus for Greenbelt users, bridging the Greenbelt pathway from the north side of the river to the south side as it continues to the city of Eagle and beyond,” Peavey-Derr said in the release.
Quadrant Consulting, Parametrix and River Structures Consulting will replace the bridge, which has sat at the Western Idaho Fairgrounds since it was removed.
This story was originally published February 26, 2019 at 2:10 PM.
