Could Sutliff Bridge's west end be moved?

Something has been nagging me regarding the Sutliff Bridge. I grew up near enough to ride my bike there as a kid. I'm old enough to have driven over it when it was open to traffic. I've enjoyed many social activities there as an adult. There is a certain emotional attachment to it.

On the other hand, spending bookoo bucks to completely restore it after the flood damage just doesn't make fiscal sense either. I'm no engineer, but has anyone considered looking into the possibility that the span on the west end of the bridge could be airlifted by the National Guard to the east end?

That could effectively restore the usefulness of the bridge to the tourists and residents with relatively little cost. There was no real advantage to crossing the entire span as there was nothing on the other side to see but overgrown weeds. The bridge could then be used in the way it has since its closure to traffic in 1981.

Of course, a barrier would need to be erected at the open west end to keep the riff raff from becoming rip rap.

Kurt Suchomel

Cedar Rapids