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Ann Arbor Residents Enjoy New $361,000 Footbridge Over Creek

 The City of Ann Arbor Sign
The City of Ann Arbor
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Walkers are enjoying a $361,000 footbridge over Malletts Creek in Ann Arbor.

The bridge was funded by the city and opened in spring, The Ann Arbor News reported. The Lansdowne bridge project replaced an older bridge that was closed a decade ago because of safety concerns.

Residents had complained that the removal of the old bridge left an eyesore and made the area dangerous. They say the new structure adds scenic variety to their walks.

"It's fun because we live on the other side and now we can walk here and get across and get to the other part of the subdivision. It's a really nice, long walk," said resident Mary Kagan. "I try to do 20,000 steps every day. It's helping me do that."

Homeowners association Lans Basin Inc. took responsibility for repairing the foundation of the old bridge.

The city delayed moving forward with the project for about two years before approving the work in May 2017. Council members supporting the bridge said they had an obligation to the neighborhood.

The city approved a roughly $293,000 design-build contract with Grand Haven-based Anlaan Corp. The city also spent about $7,000 on consulting fees and nearly $58,000 on internal city costs, according to project cost information.

The initial total cost was projected to be $358,000, but that rose to about $361,000 due to additional staffing expenses at the end of the project, said city engineer Nick Hutchinson.

The project still came in under budget, he said.

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