UPDATE: Trail, river area blocked after collapse discovered on pedestrian bridge

By Thomas Nelson, tnelson@charlescitypress.com

MONDAY, 10 a.m. — The Cedar River surrounding the partially collapsed Charley Western Trail Bridge is closed to activities, City Administrator Steve Diers said in an email Monday morning.

“No recreational activities including: boating, tubing, canoeing, kayaking, fishing, swimming or general use of the river within 100 yards of the bridge. We are working with bridge engineers to address the problem but want to make sure the public is aware of the potential danger of the bridge structurally and caution them to stay away,” Diers wrote.

CHARLES CITY — The Charley Western bridge partially collapsed Saturday morning.

The Charles City Police department received a report around 7 a.m. that the bridge had collapsed and it then cordoned off both sides.

The bridge was set for an evaluation by the Charles City Council at the April 3 meeting. The Main Street Bridge is also set for further evaluation.

Calhoun-Burns and Associates Inc. was contracted to do the evaluation.

The Charley Western Trail is closed between South Grand and Clark Street after the bridge was discovered partially collapsed Sunday morning. City workers have closed off the trail section to the public.

There are currently some concerns over the structural integrity, said Lieutenant Brad Worrall of the Charles City Police Department.

“It’s unfortunate,” said John Fallis, Charles City engineer.

On Monday Fallis will be meeting with structural engineers about what actions need to be taken.

“I support the repair or replacement of the bridge and I think the community does as well,” said Steve Lindaman, Charles City parks and recreation director.

The Charles City Parks and Recreation Department maintains and takes care of the Charley Western Bridge, with other departments helping when needed, Lindaman said.

“Its a major component of the recreational system,” Lindaman said. “It’s a sand-filled structure.”

The bridge is city property and one of five bridges in Charles City.

The bridge was originally used for trains and was built in the early 1900s, and is a more than a century old.

“It’s a 1910 bridge,” Lindaman said. “Its survived a lot of flood issues and ice jams. … It’s been around a while.”

There are currently 29 structurally deficient bridges in Floyd County out of 165 registered bridges, said Dusten Rolando, engineer with Floyd County in a previous interview with the Press.

No injuries were reported from the partial collapse.

“Until we get some professional insight on it we’ll have to just wait and see,” Lindaman said.

The sooner the bridge gets repaired the better, he said.

“Sometimes it’s not that easy,” he added.