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Hallelujah!
That’s the word that came to mind when news broke Tuesday afternoon that the lawsuit surrounding the Main Street bridge in Hannibal had been resolved.
The bridge became a local coffee shop joke years ago. The bridge, however, was no laughing matter at city hall where city officials long ago grew weary of criticism, the vast majority of which was unwarranted.
When the bridge replacement project started in 2004 it was expected that the 120-foot span would take no more than 75 working days to complete. As it turned out, the bridge did not open to traffic until Dec. 17, 2008.
Problems arose during construction of the bridge. Then came a discussion over how much weight the bridge needed to be capable of carrying. Further delaying the project was last year’s flood, which for a time completely covered the structure.
Along the line the city filed a lawsuit against the project’s general contractor, Chester Bross Construction Co., and the project’s design engineer, Great River Engineering. While Bross was later dropped from the suit, the city and Great River continued to haggle over blame.
Under terms of the settlement, the city receives a check for $375,000. In return, the city agreed to dismiss all claims against Great River, which did not admit any liability or any error.
We applaud both the engineering firm and city for their good-faith bargaining, rather than allowing this situation to drag on even longer.
Before this saga fades from memory, it’s important to note the wise decision city fathers made in 2007 to proceed with repairs to the bridge, rather than wait for a settlement.
It also is worth pointing out that the Main Street bridge project was the exception rather than the rule when it comes to the satisfactory completion of street and bridge projects in the city. And for that we are exceedingly grateful.
Hallelujah!
That’s the word that came to mind when news broke Tuesday afternoon that the lawsuit surrounding the Main Street bridge in Hannibal had been resolved.
The bridge became a local coffee shop joke years ago. The bridge, however, was no laughing matter at city hall where city officials long ago grew weary of criticism, the vast majority of which was unwarranted.
When the bridge replacement project started in 2004 it was expected that the 120-foot span would take no more than 75 working days to complete. As it turned out, the bridge did not open to traffic until Dec. 17, 2008.
Problems arose during construction of the bridge. Then came a discussion over how much weight the bridge needed to be capable of carrying. Further delaying the project was last year’s flood, which for a time completely covered the structure.
Along the line the city filed a lawsuit against the project’s general contractor, Chester Bross Construction Co., and the project’s design engineer, Great River Engineering. While Bross was later dropped from the suit, the city and Great River continued to haggle over blame.
Under terms of the settlement, the city receives a check for $375,000. In return, the city agreed to dismiss all claims against Great River, which did not admit any liability or any error.
We applaud both the engineering firm and city for their good-faith bargaining, rather than allowing this situation to drag on even longer.
Before this saga fades from memory, it’s important to note the wise decision city fathers made in 2007 to proceed with repairs to the bridge, rather than wait for a settlement.
It also is worth pointing out that the Main Street bridge project was the exception rather than the rule when it comes to the satisfactory completion of street and bridge projects in the city. And for that we are exceedingly grateful.
