Dover Bridge added to stimulus list

SANDPOINT - The Dover Bridge replacement project has been included in a list of projects identified for potential funding through federal economic stimulus packages.

The Idaho Transportation Board voted 4-1 in Boise on Thursday to include the dilapidated bridge on U.S. Highway 2, according to Idaho Transportation Department spokeswoman Barbara Babic.

The steel truss bridge, which is becoming a poster child for the nation's crumbling infrastructure, was not included in a list of projects the transportation board drafted earlier this month. Babic said the board reassessed the list because more federal funding could be available than was originally anticipated.

"It does appear that the department may get more money than what had been anticipated at the special meeting," said Babic, who placed particular emphasis on the word "may."

Babic said it was initially thought that Idaho could see a windfall of $90-100 million. A new bridge at Dover has an estimated construction cost of about $40 million. At the initial special meeting on Jan. 7, Babic said the board gravitated toward numerous projects which were less costly.

The department now believes significantly more federal funding could be received in Idaho.

"People are feeling very confident that it's really going to be closer to $200 million," she said.

The Depression-era bridge has a dismal sufficiency rating and has been featured in Popular Mechanics as one of the top 10 most needed infrastructure fixes in the nation. The bridge is also slated to be featured later this year in a History Channel program which focuses on the country's deteriorating infrastructure.

A replacement for Dover Bridge has been designed, but has languished on a shelf for years because of a lack of funding.

Economic stimulus funding bills are pending in the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives, according to an ITD briefing memo. President Barack Obama is also proposing a large stimulus package, the memo said.