-David Crowder, WRGA News-
The City of Rome continues to look at funding avenues to repair or replace the South Broad Street Bridge, also known as the Charles Graves Bridge.
According to Rome City Manager Sammy Rich, they are trying to cover all the bases.
They have asked the Georgia Department of Transportation for funding to help replace the bridge, and they have applied for funds through the Appalachian Regional Commission.
On Monday, the city commission gave the go-ahead for an application to the Georgia Transportation Infrastructure Bank.
“This is a two-part,” Rich said. “One part would be a $1 million grant, and the other would be a $1 million loan. So, by us approving the resolution tonight, it simply gets us in a place that should we choose to go after these funds we will be able to do that. However, tonight is certainly not a commitment or taking on a loan at this time. It’s just covering the bases should we need to do so at a later time.”
The bridge was built in 1915 and is the gateway to South Rome.
The estimated cost to rehab it is around $4 million.
A total replacement could cost as much as $12 million.
