The wooden Bowley Bridge in Mill Pond Park is expected to be replaced with a steel structure this summer because of safety concerns.

Lisa Allmendinger | AnnArbor.com

The wooden foot bridge across a small creek in Mill Pond Park in Saline has sentimental value for City Council member David Rhoads because he and his wife stood together in its center during their wedding. But for safety reasons, the Bowley Bridge is expected to be removed and replaced with a steel truss structure.

Monday night, the Saline City Council approved the purchase of a 25-foot-by-6-foot steel truss bridge from Art Thureson of Waterford, at a price of $12,900 pending the Parks Commission approval.

An inspection determined the “live load” capacity of the wooden bridge was 30 pounds per square foot, and today’s standards call for a ‘live load capacity’ of 85 pounds per square foot, said Jeff Fordice, the city’s Department of Public Works Director and a professional engineer.

The city considered several options, including:

• reinforcing the existing bridge


• designing and building a bridge similar to the wooden structure that's currently in place


• purchasing a wood bridge kit that could be assembled


• purchasing an assembled wood bridge


• purchasing a steel truss bridge.

Purchasing a the steel truss bridge was the option that was deemed most cost effective, Fordice said.

The bridge is named after Arthur T. Bowley, the former mayor of Brecon, Wales, Saline’s sister city. There is a plaque honoring him on the bridge, which will be saved and placed on the new structure.

The new bridge is slightly wider than the current one, but will have a wood walking surface with steel sides, Fordice said.

"It will have a more natural look on four piers with stone and earthwork," he said.

Fordice said the wooden structure would be removed in one piece, but no decision about what could be done with it had been made.

Rhoads said he hoped that it might be turned into a play structure.

Construction on the project is expected to begin after the Celtic Festival July 9.

Lisa Allmendinger is a reporter with AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Saline stories, visit our Saline page.