Barrier work wouldn't be easy

What would an Aurora Bridge barrier look like?

Odds are it would look something like those atop the Duke Ellington Bridge in Washington, D.C., or Seattle's Smith Tower — iron-rail slats that rise and then curve inward.

Beyond an estimated cost of $5 million-plus, many challenges exist. Engineers would have to ensure that any addition to the 76-year-old span wouldn't compromise its safety.

A barrier also would need to allow for bridge inspections, conducted every two years with a truck that lifts inspectors up, over and beneath the bridge in a bucket so they can see the joints up close.

No one makes a truck with an arm long enough to get the job done should a fence be erected, says state Department of Transportation spokesman Stan Suchan. One option, then, might be fencing that could be temporarily removed for inspections.

Other complicating factors are the bridge's status as a National Historic Landmark and its site over water, meaning there are conditions to be met, aesthetics to be considered, environmental effects to be gauged. "This is not going to just be some chain-link fence," Suchan says. "You don't want to fix one problem and create another."

Melissa Bailey, legislative assistant to state Rep. Mary Lou Dickerson, D-Seattle, who represents the Queen Anne area to the south of the bridge and sits on the House transportation committee, says Dickerson has helped arrange meetings among committee chair Judy Clibborn, FRIENDS and governor's office staff.

While the Legislature will likely be asked for funding if a barrier is built, Bailey notes, the next budget session isn't set until 2009. And Suchan says it could take that long to compile the necessary studies, solicit designs and collect public input anyway.

— Marc Ramirez