Sutliff Bridge decision coming next week

IOWA CITY - The fate of Sutliff Bridge is expected to be decided in one week.

The Johnson County Board of Supervisors said today it will hold a special meeting next Wednesday, April 7, to discuss the bridge and vote on what to do with the flood-damaged structure.

The meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the county's Health and Human Services building, 855 S. Dubuque St., Iowa City.

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.

The county can accept federal funds to repair the bridge, or take most of that money and spend it on another project. If it's not rebuilt, what is left of it would have to be removed.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency 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.

The supervisors have heard arguments both for and against saving the bridge.

Critics have said it's a waste of the taxpayers' money to rebuild a bridge that's only open to pedestrians.

Supporters say it has historical significance and is a tourist attraction. They also note that the federal government sets aside disaster funds for these types of projects.