Local News in Brief : Colorado St. Bridge Restoration Funded
Pasadena’s landmark Colorado Street Bridge across the Arroyo Seco will be restored to its original grandeur and rebuilt to last another 75 years with a $12.7-million federal grant, officials announced Tuesday.
The announcement by Pasadena Mayor William Thomson and U.S. Sen. Pete Wilson (R-Calif.) of the Federal Highway Administration grant was seen by city officials and preservationists as a triumphal end to a decade of efforts to save the span built in 1913.
Wilson, who helped obtain the money, said it will cover 80% of the restoration project. The rest will come from state and city funds, Thomson said.
The bridge’s surface is cracked, allowing water to seep in and rust the reinforcing steel. Hunks of concrete have fallen. Much of the ornamentation has been removed over the years.
“What a relief,” Pasadena City Engineer Dave Barnhart said. “This gives us a real incentive to keep plowing away.” He said construction is expected to begin in early 1990.
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