GREEN RIVER - Thanks to Sweetwater County voters, more than $500,000 from the recently passed 1 percent facilities sales tax is earmarked for the city to fix the ailing one-lane bridge to historic Expedition Island.

There's just one snag, however. City Council members aren't sure if voters meant for city officials to use the money to renovate the aging bridge or to build a whole new structure.

A little more research was called for, the council decided Tuesday night.

City officials have been working for several years on plans to replace, or possibly repair, two of the town's aging bridges that span the Green River.

The first steel-and-wood bridge is the one-lane walking span that leads to the city's historic Expedition Island and Island Pavilion. The pavilion is used for a variety of social and cultural events.

The FMC bridge spans the Green River southeast of the city. Also a one-lane walking bridge, the structure leads to a popular recreation area along the Green River.

Tuesday night, the council entered into a cooperative agreement with the Wyoming Department of Transportation to replace the old FMC bridge, at an estimated cost of about $1.6 million.

But council members have not yet decided whether to replace the old Expedition Island bridge, as recommended by the WYDOT, or to further study the possibility of repairing the span and saving the structure.

Last month, Sweetwater County voters approved the 1 percent sales tax ballot initiative that included $550,000 for Green River's Expedition Island bridge.

But the council tabled a decision on hiring consultant Wyss Associates to conduct a second, independent engineering study for $4,000.

The board decided to wait until the city attorney could determine if the exact wording on November's ballot called for replacement or the repair of the bridge.

City Administrator Barry Cook told council members the most recent WYDOT analysis of the Expedition Island bridge "showed the structural stringers, or the main support system under the bridge, was severely damaged, and they recommended replacement or extensive repair." A subsequent in-house assessment by city engineers recommended the whole structure be replaced for safety reasons, Cook said.

Councilman Tom McCullough said he believed the new study is worth pursuing if it could save taxpayer money.

"If we can end up saving taxpayers money by not using all of the 'power of the penny' dollars on (the bridge replacement), I think it will be well spent," he said.

But Councilman Angelo Kallas disagreed and said the bridge is just not structurally safe.

"Getting another opinion might be a good idea, but even if we're able to fix it for less - say for $200,000 or $300,000 - we can't guarantee how long that's going to last," he said.

FMC bridge

The council also entered into a cooperative agreement with state transportation officials to begin the FMC bridge replacement project.

Last month, the council approved the final state report outlining the design, engineering and construction costs for the $1.6 million project. The city is funding about $222,000 of the project.

The approximately 45-year-old bridge has deteriorated badly in recent years, officials said. The bridge was originally built by FMC Inc., a local soda ash manufacturer located in the Green River basin west of the city.

The bridge links the city with a popular recreation area known as FMC Park, which includes a recreation barn, river walkway and shooting barn. It also serves several homes farther down the road. The bridge and park were turned over to the city in the late 1990s.

In 2001, the city spent about $70,000 to re-deck the FMC bridge in an effort to maintain the structure until a new, bigger structure could be constructed.

Officials said the plan is to use the old FMC bridge while a new bridge is being built. Funding for the project will come from WYDOT's bridge replacement program.

Southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at (307) 875-5359 or at gearino@trib.com.