St. George » This southwest Utah city is getting better connected.
On Friday, ground was broken for a new $4.2 million bridge across the Santa Clara River. It will replace the one washed out in the floods of 2005 and connect the southern, Green Valley section of St. George with its northern half.
Since the floods -- they caused $200 million in damage -- motorists have had to use a temporary two-lane road. The result: a traffic bottle neck and safety concerns.
When finished next May, the new bridge will span more than 100 feet from bank to bank, have five lanes for traffic and feature a trail, pedestrian and bike lane.
The general contractor on the project is Wadsworth Brothers Construction of Draper.
In January of 2005, the old bridge was washed out when the small Santa Clara River was turned into a churning torrent that also took out 20 homes.
The project is being paid for by St. George, the Dixie Metropolitan Planning Organization and Utah Department of Transportation.
UDOT's portion comes from $158 million in stimulus money from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act passed by Congress last month. Executive director John Njord said his agency has committed 73 percent of its stimulus money to road projects, more than any other state.
"It [stimulus money] was the impetus to move this project forward and bring community together," said Njord.
Second District Rep. Jim Matheson, D-Utah, said the federal funds will help create jobs critical to reversing the country's economic upheaval.
"It's a good start," said Matheson.
