The city of Ringgold wants to install a pedestrian bridge over U.S. Highway 41 at the Ringgold Depot. But only one bid came in for $368,000 – which is $168,000 more than city officials hope to spend.Building a pedestrian bridge near the historic train depot in Ringgold, Ga., would cost $368,500 – significantly more than city officials bargained for – and one city councilman questions whether it’s worth proceeding.
City officials opened bids Tuesday for work to install a steel span over the downtown’s main thoroughfare, Nashville Street. The city wants the walkway so pedestrians can more safely get between the depot and a city-owned, 52-space parking lot just south of the busy street, also known as U.S. Highway 41.
Six contractors came to a June 13 pre-bid conference but only one submitted a bid Tuesday: Chattanooga-based Raines Brothers Inc., which offered to install the bridge for $368,500.
“It’s definitely more than we were hoping,” City Councilman Nick Millwood said.
City officials had hoped the bridge could be installed for $250,000, Millwood said.