The Plymouth City Council held the final readings over an ordinance to establish a grant fund for a historic bridge when members met last Monday.
The Indiana Department of Transportation recently awarded the City of Plymouth a little more than $1.3 million to conduct future renovation work on the East La Porte Street Footbridge over the Yellow River.
With INDOT footing the bill for a good portion of the $2 million dollar project, only approximately $800,000 will need to come from the city.
In past meetings, members discussed that potential improvements to the landmark will include the painting of all components, a new bridge deck and railing, repairs to the superstructure and substructure, and the addition of ADA accessible approaches.
When members considered the second and third readings of the ordinance, they each passed with a unanimous vote.
According to a Nomination Form submitted to the National Register of Historic Places in 1980, there was a bridge crossing the Yellow River at the location of the present structure as far back as 1881.
However, due to deterioration of the original, a replacement bridge was constructed between the summer of 1891 and December of that same year. The bridge reportedly connected the residential section of the city to a largely undeveloped area which is now the core of downtown Plymouth’s commercial district.
The form also states that aside from serving as a pedestrian pathway, the bridge has also been used as a point where observers can measure the depth of the Yellow River. The footbridge was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1981.
