The Washington Avenue Bridge Conspiracy isn’t so much a plot against Sedalians who live north of the Union Pacific Railroad tracks as it is a wrongly perceived slight perpetuated by a handful of residents.
The 102-year-old bridge was closed in December 2011 after being found structurally unsound. Original repair estimates ranged from $875,000 to $1 million, with a timetable of about a year and a half to complete the work. After further examination, the cost projection jumped to $2 million; but the bids came in at $1.2 million, and on Wednesday, Sedalia Public Works Director Bill Beck told Democrat reporter Emily Jarrett that the work is expected to run the city around $1.26 million.
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