Supervisors vote to restore Sutliff Bridge

The 112-year-old Sutliff Bridge will be saved.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors voted 3-2 tonight to rebuild the historic structure

“We should save a piece of our county's history. My vote is to save Sutliff Bridge,” Supervisor Terrence Neuzil said.

He was joined by Rod Sullivan and Janelle Rettig in voting in favor of restoration. Board Chairwoman Sally Stutsman and Pat Harney voted against.

“To me, the bridge is gone,” Stutsman said. “The bridge was destroyed in the flood of 2008.”

The 2008 flood swept away one-third of Sutliff Bridge, which is over the Cedar River in the northeast corner of the county. It opened in 1898 and is on the National Register of Historic Places. It was closed to vehicular traffic in the 1980s but remains a popular tourist spot.

That missing section will now be rebuilt in a design similar to what stood before.

The county had two main choices: accept federal funds to repair the bridge, or take most of that money and spend it on another project. If the bridge was not rebuilt, what was left of it would have to be removed.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency has said it will pay to replace the bridge, a cost estimated at $1.7 million, plus another $440,000 or so to bring it up to code.

Andy Johnson, the board's executive assistant, said the decision was not necessarily final. FEMA approved the money to bring the bridge up to code, but it's not yet obligated. The agency has said the board could change its mind if the money, for some reason, does not come through.