Sutliff Bridge construction will begin next year

IOWA CITY – The federal government has signed off on the design plans for a renovated Sutliff Bridge, and construction could start in the spring.

That news was shared Thursday at the Johnson County Board of Supervisors' informal meeting by Tim McDermott of VJ Engineering, which is handling the design and construction management for the project.

The bridge spanned the Cedar River in northeast Johnson County before one-third of it was swept away in the Flood of 2008. The structure is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The repaired bridge will look similar to what existed before the flood.

Federal and state funds will cover the cost to replace the damaged portion, estimated at $1.7 million, plus about $440,000 to bring it up to code.

McDermott said the Federal Emergency Management Agency gave the green light to design plans last week. He's preparing the bid letting documents to find a contractor for construction and is hoping to start the bid process in November.

FEMA said it would make sure funding is available if the bids go over the estimate, he said.

Construction is expected to start by mid-April at the latest and take about nine months, he said.