Project will add new bridge at Snyder Park

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The green bridge over Buck Creek that serves as the entrance to the Snyder Park golf course, playground and tennis courts will be converted for pedestrian and bicycle use only next year after a new bridge is constructed to allow access for a $16 million sewer project.

The new bridge will be constructed as part of the Erie Express Interceptor Sewer – mandated as part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s Clean Water Act — which will also be delayed one year because of design issues.

Currently, the bridge’s weight restriction allows approximately two tons, which is the equivalent of one car. The city displayed new signs last year to emphasis the bridge’s weight limit.

The new bridge will be open to the public and will serve as the main entrance to those recreation areas, including the $300,000 inclusive playground being built by the Springfield Rotary Club designed to be shared by children with and without disabilities. The playground is expected to be completed in September.

“It’s very good because with the green bridge, it can only have one car at a time,” said National Trail Parks and Recreation District Director Leann Castillo said. “It’s a historical part to that park, and we don’t want to see it go away.”

It is still being determined where the bridge will be located. City officials say it likely won’t cost more than $1 million and will be paid for through sewer revenue fund capital improvement dollars.

“We won’t know the cost until we figure out the location and how wide we want the bridge to be,” said city engineer Leo Shanayda.

Shanayda said the green bridge, which is approximately 100 years old, will be converted to a walking bridge, similar to the one on Pumphouse Road.

“I’m glad we’re going to be keeping it,” Shanayda said. “It’s not on the historical register, but it could be. It’s adds character to the park. It will be nice to have pedestrian access only.”

The bridge will take approximately six months to complete, Shanayda said.

“We’re hoping we can get it done next year,” Shanayda said.

The bridge will also allow crews to begin work on the Erie Express sewer, which will run through Snyder Park, and also access to the sewer for future maintenance.

“There’s no way to get construction equipment back there,” said city service director Chris Moore.

Construction on the Erie Express sewer was originally scheduled to be completed in September of 2016, but was pushed back to 2017 due to design issues.

City commissioners will vote on Dec. 10 to increase funds for the design phase of the Erie Express sewer project to approximately $1.6 million, an increase of $324,000.

“Design has taken significantly longer than we’ve planned,” Moore said. “Every step of the way, we’ve hit obstacles.”

A sewer currently runs from the area of Ohio 41 and Bechtle Ave. and ties into a larger sewer, which officials say could overflow during a large storm and allow sewage to enter nearby waterways.

The Erie Interceptor Express sewer project will attach to that sanitary sewer located nearby and send the sewage directly to the Wastewater Treatment Plant, 925 Dayton Ave.

The area between the Ohio Department of Transportation garage near U.S. 68 and Ohio 41 and Snyder Park Golf Course is almost solid rock, which impacts design decisions because rock excavation is expensive, Moore said. The sewer will also require a pump station, but the size of the station will be determined by the elevation of the pipe.

“It’s been a series of complicated issues,” Moore said.

The city hopes to begin construction on the sewer no later than July of 2015. The design process will wrap up in August, and the city will bid the project in November.

Moore said design work is roughly 10 percent of the project’s overall cost. The goal is to make sure every variable is discovered before construction begins.

“It can save you on the construction end,” Moore said.

The Erie Express project could also eliminate up to four smaller pump stations in low areas near the area.

“Part of the design process is figuring out how many of those we can eliminate,” Moore said. “In the long run, it helps decrease maintenance.”

The EPA-mandated combined sewer overflow project could cost at least $170 million, but it will be reviewed by the Ohio EPA in 2017. The city is currently in the process of building a $60 million high-rater clarifier at the Wastewater Treatment Plant as part of its long-term combined sewer overflow plan.