Wiley’s Road Bridge may have Alabama getaway
By Liam Migdail-Smith, Reading Eagle, Pa. | |
McClatchy-Tribune Information Services |
They want to take over the span so they can keep it open to pedestrians and bicyclists and turn it into a tourist attraction to raise the money that would be needed for ongoing maintenance and liability insurance.
And central to their plans to keep a bit of
Nothing's final and the project depends on
But
"Preliminarily we're all supportive, but obviously the devil's in the details," said
The idea sits well with preservation advocates who say they'd rather see the bridge stay in
The plan
The future of Wiley's bridge, a 131-year-old rare truss span, became uncertain last year when
With that option off the table, the county made plans to demolish the bridge, alarming preservation advocates and bicycling enthusiasts.
County officials said keeping long-term costs for the bridge, which has been closed for about two years, didn't make sense because the span would be used only by a small segment of the county.
Leaving it standing without repairs would be a liability.
"This one is so rare," she said of Wiley's. "It needs to find a home where it can really be showcased."
If
History preserved
Wiley's would connect the
"That's what we do," she said. "Rather than going in and putting in a pedestrian bridge or concrete, we thought it would be great to go and adopt another historic bridge."
There would be a plaque about the history of Wiley's bridge in
Moving Wiley's bridge is not ideal because it has a lot of historical significance where it is, said
"Given a choice between having it scrapped and having it sent to
Meiser pointed to the old carousel from
But he lamented the loss of historic attractions in
"It's very short-sighted on our part," Meiser said. "We're losing more and more."
Missing connection
Whether it's Wiley's or another bridge, there needs to be a way for pedestrians and bicyclists to cross the creek without contending with high-speed traffic on
"From the standpoint of off-road cycling, it would definitely be a loss unless there was a way to guarantee in some way that the bridge is going to be replaced," said
The organization is attempting to win
But a big part of that process is maintaining safe routes between recreation areas and population centers.
"You don't want to see a step backwards in an area that involves connectivity," Moreadith said.
Hiking, biking and other forms of outdoor recreation are part of what draw tourists to
"They're all big in this area because of all the outside attributes in this area," she said.
Maintaining a crossing where Wiley's is would be an important part of keeping those visitors coming and building
The county has looked into options for putting a trestle bridge for pedestrians and bicycles in place of Wiley's, Barnhardt said. The span would likely cost
The county may be open to paying for the replacement span, he said, but wouldn't want to assume future responsibility for it. The county would likely look for the township or a community group to step up to take on long-term care of the bridge.
While there wasn't much interest in preserving Wiley's in the past, keeping a pedestrian bridge standing is likely a much less daunting task, Barnhardt said.
"Maybe the long-term maintenance on a trestle bridge isn't really to the tune of: Gee, you have to renovate Wiley's for
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Group trying to save Alabama bridge faces uphill battle
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