FOR AGENCY MEETING OF: September 10,2012

AGENDA ITEM NO.: 5 (b)

TO: AGENCY
THROUGH: DIRECTO
FROM: PETER FERNANDEZ, P.E., DIRECTOR
PU IC
SUBJECT:
ISSUE:
J HN H. WALES, DIRECTOR
BAN DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT
MINTO ISLAND PEDESTRIAN BRIDGE AND TRAIL
DESIGN AND FUNDING UPDATES
Information only.
BACKGROUND:
Over the last several years, the City and Urban Renewal Agency (Agency) have been
working toward the Council goal of constructing a pedestrian bridge and trail system to
connect Riverfront Park with Minto Brown Island Park. The bridge and trail are located in
two Urban Renewal Areas (URA); South Waterfront and Riverfront Downtown (Attachment
A).
On January 9, 2012, the Agency Board approved the Minto Island Pedestrian Bridge and
Trail Master Plan to formalize the project scope, summarize supporting actions, and
strengthen the Agency's ability to obtain external funding for the bridge and trail.
In February 2012, following a Request for Proposals, a contract was executed with OBEC
Consulting Engineers (OBEC) to complete design, permitting, and construction oversight
of the bridge and trail. Authorization was given to OBEC to complete the initial design
phase, and the findings from this phase were shared with Council in a work session July
23, 2012.
To date, $90,000 in South Waterfront URA and $1,829,500 Riverfront Downtown URA
funding has been budgeted to support design and permitting of both the bridge and trail.
The bridge and trail will improve pedestrian and bicycle options, access, and safety by
providing an off-street trail network between south Salem, downtown, and west Salem.
The bridge and trail, and other planned connections, will link more than 30 miles of trails
and 1200 acres of parks, enhance commuting and recreation opportunities, improve
resident health and well-being, attract recreational tourism, and is expected to contribute to
new investment in downtown.
The bridge and a connecting trail to Minto-Brown Island Park is an adopted FY 2012-13
Council goal and is identified in several supporting plans and policies, including the
Agency - Minto Bridge Update Page 1 of3 September 10, 2012
Riverfront Downtown URA Plan, South Waterfront URA Plan, Comprehensive Park
System's Master Plan, the Salem Transportation Plan, 2011-2035 Regional Transportation
Systems Plan, Salem's Vision 2020 Action Plan, and the Urban Land Institute's 2006
Strategies for Redevelopment of the Downtown Boise Cascade Site study.
FACTS AND FINDINGS:
Design
On March 23, 2009, following review of recommendations presented in a 2008 Bridge
Design Study and substantial public testimony, Council approved a clear span, tied arch
bridge design option. Several steps were taken following Council's approval to prepare for
the tied arch design, including execution of an agreement with the Willamette Queen
Sternwheeler, execution of an easement agreement with Boise Cascade, LLC, to secure
access for the trail on Minto-Brown Island, and adoption of the Minto Island Pedestrian
Bridge and Trail Master Plan.
Through the concept design phase completed in July 2012, OBEC confirmed the tied arch
bridge design was best suited to address the challenges of spanning the Willamette
Slough and further refined the design. The current design is visually striking, unique to
Oregon, and will allow open views of the surrounding environment and to the Willamette
River below (Attachment B - Bridge Design). The design does not require piers in the
water, thereby allowing unobstructed access for recreational kayaks, canoes, and other
small watercraft. Key findings from the initial design phase include:
A bridge alignment adjusted to reduce the clear span length to approximately 300
feet
The approach spans on both sides of the main span will match the higher bridge
elevation which is required due to a hydraulic analysis that revealed the 1 00-year
flood elevation is more than one foot higher than FEMA FIS maps
Use of approach spans to minimize floodway fill and ensure no rise in the 1 00-year
flood elevation
A trail to be constructed at the surface of the existing berm on Minto-Brown Island
minimizing floodwaters overtopping the trail
Special handling/disposal required for soil and groundwater removed for installation
of the Riverfront Park bridge foundation, based on environmental testing results.
Advantages of clear span tied arch bridge:
Minimizes contaminant risk
Simplifies environmental permitting
Minimizes flood impacts and obstacles within waterway
Minimizes impact to Riverfront Park
Material efficiency
Agency - Minto Bridge Update Page 2 of3 September 10, 2012
Simple foundation structures help to define and manage environmental risk
Outward tilted ribs will result in visually striking, regionally unique structure
Costs and Funding
Current cost estimates for the design, permitting, and construction of the bridge and trail
are$9,000,000. This cost assumes a 30 percent contingency, and cost for inflation, given
the construction start date is not known. The cost estimate will continue to be refined as
design continues and as the construction schedule is defined.
Grants and other external funding will be needed to fill the funding gap, including
approximately $5,200,000 for construction of the bridge and $800,000 for final design and
construction of the trail. Because the funding gap for the trail is smaller, the City has
focused on pursuing funding for the trail component first.
In 2011, the City applied to fund the design and construction of the Minto Trail from the
Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) Flex Funding and Federal Highway
Administration Transportation, Community, and System Preservation grant programs. In
2012, staff submitted a Notice of Intent, requesting up to $1,200,000 for the Minto Trail
from the ODOT Transportation Enhancement Program and $60,000 from Business
Oregon's Brownfield Redevelopment Fund. To date, the Agency has received a $60,000
grant from Business Oregon. Feedback from ODOT indicates that additional City, Agency,
private, or other funding will be needed to increase the competitiveness of future
applications.
In order to address the funding gap and be better positioned to compete for future ODOT
grants for the bridge, staff recommends continuing to pursue targeted grants for the trail
from other agencies, including for the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department
Recreational Trails Program in October 2012, and the Local Government Grant Program in
April 2013, and if desired by the Agency Board, to re-evaluate the feasibility of allocating
additional one-time Riverfront Downtown URA project funds over the next two years to the
bridge and trail projects.
Next Steps
Staff will continue to pursue grants and external funding to support design and construction
of the bridge and trail. The design consultant, OBEC, is proceeding with the next phase of
design and preparing materials for the necessary permits. Coordination with the Friends of
Two Bridges and other important stakeholders will continue, including fund raising for the
bridge and trail. Staff will likely return to Council and Agency in fall 2012 to discuss
funding options in more detail, and spring 2013 to share the results of the next phase of
design. Assuming full funding for construction of the bridge and trail, construction could
begin as early as summer 20.14 and conclude in fall 2015.
Attachment A: Map
Attachment B: Bridge Design
Report Prepared By: Annie Gorski and Allen Dannen
G:\URBANDEV\ADMINISTRATION\FINAL COUNCIL STAFF REPORTS\2012\SEP 10\MINTO BRIDGE & TRAIL\AGENCY\AGENCY
_MINTOUPDATE_SEP1 0_2012V.DOC
Agency - Minto Bridge Update Page 3 of3 September 10, 2012
Public Works Department
Pedestrian Bridge Urban Renewal Areas
~ B r i d g e NAME
====Trail
= Contours
D RIVERFRONT DOWNTOWN
D SOUTH WATERFRONT
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Minto Island Bicycle and Pedestrian
Bridge and Trail
legend
Pedestrian Bridge
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ATIACHMENTA
Public Works Department
Pedestrian Bridge Urban Renewal Areas
= Bridge NAME
====Trail
= Contours
RIVERFRONT DOWNTOWN
D SOUTH WATERFRONT
parks
water _polys
Minto Island Bicycle and Pedestrian
Bridge and Trail
Legend
Pedestrian Bridge

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