City Council Debates Duckwood Overpass

During an unusually long city council meeting, the mayor and council members heard from a number of citizens who had concerns about the wisdom, fiscal responsibility, and impact of constructing a bridge across Interstate-35E connecting Duckwood Drive with Federal Drive.

Although there was not a public meeting on the agenda, and the city intends to proceed with building the overpass, Mayor Mike Maguire agreed to open the floor to allow citizens to ask questions and express their opinions about the project. 

Referred to by one speaker as a "bridge-to-nowhere," residents of neighborhoods on either side of the proposed bridge addressed the council and voiced their concerns about increased traffic and the sense of spending $7 million at a time when the economy is stagnant. 

Maguire replied that the city has been planning for the completion of the ring road, of which the Duckwood overpass is the final piece, and that there has been a tax levy in place for four years in anticipation of the funding needs of the project. 

Maguire continued, "It is a product of our decision as a council to prioritize our infrastructure build-out and to not be tempted by a temporary downturn in the economy to take the short way out and not make those investments in long-term visions and long-term infrastructure."

Councilman Paul Bakken reminded the audience that improving the roads will serve the community 2o years into the future and address projected traffic increases.

He said, "More and more, the responsibility of getting things done and taking care of these core infrastructure needs has been trickling down to the local level of government. So the bad news is we have more responsibility; we’re trying to live within our means. The good news is we’re trying to stay on top of it, project way out into the future, and make sure that we're doing what we can to make sure our residents and businesses are well-served, that we’re not experiencing gridlock and can’t get to where we need to go during the day."

Maguire thanked the citizens for coming out and expressing their views, but ultimately, said that they would have to agree to disagree. The council voted to move forward to solicit bids, which will be opened on March 31.