Building One Bridge or Two
Everyone in Holland is either talking about or listening to the issues of the 2005 River Avenue Bridge construction. It seems there are a few options on the table.
- Build one six-lane bridge for $6 million, closing the River Avenue crossing during construction.
- Build two three-lane bridges for $8.174 million, allowing traffic to move over the crossing during construction.
- Build one six-lane bridge, routing traffic during construction over a temporary bridge that would cost $1 million.
Without looking much deeper into the issue and simply choosing an option based on later convenience - Option 2 seems to be the best option. It allows Holland to grow and keeps traffic moving quickly.
That all said, there is more for us to look at. Some rather large things if I may add. For starters, a huge deterrent is - The state of Michigan says one bridge is sufficient and they’re only giving us enough money for one bridge. This means that someone else (us) has to come up with the rest of the money.
There’s also the issue of local businesses wanting to keep their doors open. With the new construction many will have a hard time doing so and some may even go out of business. Mayor Al McGeehan shares this concern and the issue is very much in front of him while listening to the choices.
What I’m wondering is - Why don’t the local shops do something? If Option 2 is best, should they help come up with the money. If Option 2 is chosen, won’t they have to help finance it anyways; along with the rest of Holland?
I do happen to know, various advertising agencies are already working with local shops in putting a good spin on the whole construction. It’s going to happen no matter what but how businesses will deal with it will be the deciding factor in whether they stay afloat of not.
My thoughts are with Option 1, with possibly the addition of Option 3. I’m really not a fan of Holland needing to fund $2+ million of our money. There are so many other things that need to be finished and new things that need to be started.
