STAFF REPORT

Work will start any day now on a new pedestrian bridge spanning the San Marcos River after city council members this week awarded a construction contract.

Pfluggerville-based Shaffer Concrete bid $464,952, the lowest of six companies competing for the job. The project will close a gap between existing sidewalks along Hopkins Street, one of the city’s main thoroughfares. Already engineered and designed, bridge construction is supposed to be complete in October.

Previous phases extended the sidewalks from where they used to end in front of the city parks and recreation building and the city activity center, including an at-grade crossing of Union Pacific railroad tracks. Abutments for the bridge have also already been installed.

RELATED IN THE MERCURY:

• Pedestrian bridge project moving along at river | March 4, 2008
• Pedestrian bridge installed over river | November 15, 2008
• Major railroad rebuild to close local road crossings | October 21, 2009
• Staples Road is where the sidewalk begins for Wallace addition | January 16, 2008
• Council awards contract for McCarty water line | July 7, 2008