Key section of East Bank Trail closed through mid-summer as South Bend plans redesign
SOUTH BEND — A key bridge for bicyclists and joggers on the East Bank Trail will be blocked off all spring and for much of the summer, marking its second prolonged closure in the last couple of years.
The popular trail's bridge over Leeper Avenue closed late last year because its old wooden decking is beginning to fail, according to the city.
The South Bend Redevelopment Commission on Thursday approved $300,000 for plans to redesign and rebuild the bridge this summer. City Engineer Kara Boyles said the city is considering a design that would replace the wooden planks with an asphalt path.
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Regardless, Boyles said, the slog of designing plans and bidding out a construction contract through the Board of Public Works means the bridge won't open until the end of July, at the earliest.
The bridge was closed for about a year after a contractor's large truck crashed into it in October 2021. The city paid about $185,000 for Milestone Contractors North to make repairs that were finished by November 2022.
Those fixes kept the bridge open for about a year.
Board of Public Works documents show that, as part of the initial renovation, the city had considered paying the construction firm an additional $207,000 to replace the wooden decking with asphalt.
But Boyles said that idea was "way beyond the budget" available to her at the time. It remains to be seen whether an asphalt path will replace the old wooden one this time.
The trail has battled other closures the past few years, including when Indiana Michigan Power closed off part of it to install a new transmission line. Users can detour the closed bridge via stairs that connect to Leeper Avenue and a separate set of stairs connecting to the trail from the sidewalk along Indiana 933.
New pedestrian bridge planned near East Bank Trail
But in a bit of heartening news for trail users, the Board of Public Works in November paid $97,000 to Lochmueller Group to design a pedestrian bridge that would span the St. Joseph River and connect the Leeper Park East area to the east bank.
Planning documents show the bridge would feature a multi-use path going from Marion Street to the East Bank Trail, just north of where the East Race meets the river. Construction could begin yet this year.
Email city reporter Jordan Smith at JTsmith@gannett.com. Follow him on X: @jordantsmith09
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Why the East Bank Trail is closed in South Bend
