• Minutes from the February 16^th meeting were unanimously approved as submitted. by the committee.
  
• Caleb Faux, Project Manager for the Bridge Study and a member of the consultant firm of Plum, Klausmeier & Gehrum (PKG) introduced a summary memorandum, which outlined the consultants findings to date regarding issues related to the question of a need for additional river crossing capacity in the project study area. The summary outlined 10 conclusions, seven of which supported the need to move into Phase
  2, bridge location.
  
• Included in the summary report, was the goals and objectives established by the Coordinating Committee,
  a summary report analyzing the condition of the existing bridges, results of the Traffic Operations Analysis, and the results of the Travel Demand Modeling process used to project future traffic. Also included in the report were preliminary conclusions drawn from data that had been assembled by the firm.
  
• PKG suggested in the Bridge Condition Analysis that considering the age of the Market Street Bridge and the Ft. Steuben Bridge, both are nearing the end of their useful life.

• Rehabilitation to the Market Street Bridge would slow down the rate of deterioration; however PKG concluded that the bridge would still remain deficient in both roadway geometric and load-carrying capacity. Rehabilitation work would not include upgrades to the bridges cables and piers. Estimated upgrade costs was approximated at nearly $4.5 million.
  
• Rehabilitation to the Ft. Steuben Bridge was estimated to range near the $5 million mark. PKG concluded that the costly repairs to the bridge would exclude the possibility of widening the roadway and no increase in traffic congestion. PKG did not factor in future development of a river port regarding traffic congestion. Furthermore the firm concluded that with the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge nearby the Ohio Department of Transportation, who owns the bridge, may have a difficult time securing funding for the bridge.

• Included in the preliminary study, Modjeski and Masters, Inc., developed cost estimates for a new Ohio River Crossing within the study area. Estimates were gathered on three variations, including short, medium and long river crossings. Those estimates ranged from a short structure at $40 million to $77 million for a long structure. The estimates were based on construction costs in today’s market and did not include ramping ingress and egress. PKG said estimated costs for total bridges construction would likely exceed  the $100 million mark.
  
• Results of the traffic analysis concluded that the projected growth in river crossing demand would in all likelihood not increase significantly if all three bridges remained open. If one or both bridges in the future is deemed inoperable, an increase in demand on the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge would not be excessive. However, the study does indicates that double river crossings would decrease in the event the two older bridges are closed, which would reduce the number of river crossings. On the flip side, the consultants said if the Veteran’s Memorial Bridge would be closed, as it is at least one a year for routine inspections, both
  of the older bridges sustain a heavy increase in traffic volume.
  
• Lastly, the summary concluded that in the event that only one river crossing would exist within the metropolitan area, a hazard would be created in relation to emergency situations and that is unacceptable.

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