IRVINE : Wood Might Not Be Used to Fix Bridge

Woodbridge Village’s landmark wooden footbridge, which links lakeside homes with shopping areas, may turn to stone.

After dry rot forced the temporary closure of the 16-year-old bridge last summer, city engineers came up with three options for repair, including a proposal that the bridge be replaced with a cement structure made to look like wood.

“That would eliminate 99% of the maintenance costs that we have with a wooden structure,” Councilman Greg Smith said. “It might be cheaper in the long run.”

The City Council next week will choose among three options for bridge replacement material: prefabricated wood, steel and cement.

The footbridge, which crosses Barranca Parkway near Lake Road, was built in 1979 when the Woodbridge Village community was founded.

It is popular with pedestrians and bicyclists traveling between residential and shopping areas near north Woodbridge Lake.

“In keeping with the Woodbridge theme, it was decided that a wooden bridge be constructed,” City Manager Paul O. Brady said of the bridge’s origins.

The 15-foot-high Barranca bridge was damaged earlier this year when a trash truck hit it, Public Works Director Barry McClellan said.

The damage led to dry rot, which has caused bridge supports to sag on one side.

McClellan is recommending that the bridge be replaced with another wooden structure at a cost of about $200,000.

A steel or concrete bridge could cost as much as $75,000 more, McClellan said, and would take significantly longer to install.

And there is the aesthetic issue to consider, he said.

“This is, after all, in the middle of Woodbridge,” McClellan said. “Everything else in the area is made out of wood.”