Morrison is closing the town’s South Park bridge to cars indefinitely. The wooden bridge just off Bear Creek Avenue at South Park Avenue needs a minimum of $1 million in repairs, according to the town, and Morrison doesn’t have it.
The bridge will stay open to pedestrians while the town looks for the money to fix it.
The Colorado Department of Transportation recently identified the bridge as a “high priority” repair during an annual bridge inspection, according to town manager Mallory Nassau.
“The base cost estimate for the bridge was over a million dollars, just for construction and materials,” Nassau wrote in an email. “For a small town with a small budget, the expense isn’t realistic without grants or long-term and intentional saving for the replacement.”
So the town opted to shut it down.
It’s also looking at ways to make the closed structure more aesthetically pleasing.
“We’re trying to figure out a way we can turn it into something that looks pretty in the meantime,” Nassau said. “We are thinking of doing a parklet on the (Bear Creek Avenue) side. It would be temporary, and nothing too fancy, but just a way to build a natural barrier with some plants and seating. And doing something as pretty as possible on the residential side instead of just ‘bridge closed’ signs.”
Neighbor Shea Thomas, whose house is just south of the bridge, said the closure will be a small inconvenience, but noted there’s a secondary access in and out of the neighborhood nearby, just off Canon Street and Highway 8.
“It’s nice to have that access there, but I understand if it’s a safety issue,” she said. “It’s actually easier to make a right turn at the light (on Highway 8 and Bear Creek) than from the bridge anyway.”