MOORPARK : Council to Consider Bridge Replacement

Citing safety concerns, the Moorpark City Council tonight will consider whether to spend about $2.5 million to replace an elevated portion of Spring Road that runs across the Arroyo Simi.

“It’s only a matter of time before that bridge gives way,” Councilman Scott Montgomery said. “The engineering and style of architecture was built for a time when the arroyo was far less of a massive force than it is now” during heavy rains.

While officials with the state Department of Transportation have advised the city that the two-lane bridge need only be rehabilitated, council members say they are convinced that replacement makes more sense.

“This bridge has the characteristic of accumulating a lot of debris and causing the water to rise up and over the road, creating what we all feel is a pretty hazardous situation,” Mayor Paul Lawrason said.

About $506,000 of the replacement costs may come from federal grants, officials said, and the city now has $567,000 in hand to devote to the project.

Replacing the bridge would also allow the city to widen its two lanes of traffic and add a bicycle/pedestrian lane, Lawrason said.

“I do support replacing it,” he said. “But I also am concerned about the total cost and where the money’s coming from.”

The council will discuss whether to move ahead with the replacement and sources of additional funds, such as issuance of bonds, borrowing or seeking contributions from developers with land in the area.

The meeting will begin at 7 p.m. at Moorpark City Hall, 799 Moorpark Ave.