Additional funds for the Bradley Road Bridge Replacement project were approved by the Mat-Su Borough Assembly at Tuesday’s regular meeting. The Bradley Road bridge is located a little more than a mile south on Bradley Road, from its junction with Susitna River Road.
The project began and stalled several years ago with an estimated price tag of more than $900,000. Funding was already allocated. The approved amended scope and budget adds $176,000 to the estimated cost, now at more than one million dollars. Vehicle registration revenues will supply the additional funds for this and several other bridge projects this fiscal year.
The Alaska Department of Transportation gave the Bradley Road Bridge a rating of 6.7 out of 100. Any rating less than 50 indicates a need for replacement to maintain safety for vehicles and pedestrians. Mike Campfield, a Mat-Su Borough engineer, says that the bridge is the highest priority this year. “It’s a relatively old bridge. The deck has failed before. It’s got weight restrictions on it. It can’t handle any highway vehicle like it should.”
A contractor has not yet been selected for the design, but work is expected to start this summer with field investigations. Following that, the design will be completed over the next year. Construction will likely be completed by the end of 2025.
Campfield says that most of the work will not be limited to a specific season. In-water work will be limited to early summer because Trapper Creek is a salmon bearing stream. The in-water work and availability of supplies like steel will determine the final construction timeline.
Campfield indicates that the new bridge will be longer and higher than the existing one. Those improvements will make it stronger and higher to provide more clearance in flood conditions.
