Replacing collapsed bridge to cost District 220 $281,000

The Barrington Area Unit School District 220 approved a $281,000 project to replace the collapsed bridge connecting the athletic area and parking lot north of Flint Creek to the rest of the Barrington High School campus.

The old bridge, believed to have been built in 1973, collapsed in February, and was replaced by a temporary pedestrian bridge soon after. The new and improved bridge should last at least 50 years.

Board Vice President Penny Kazmier said safety was the No. 1 reason the board felt it needed to replace the bridge. Kazmier said a bridge allows injured softball or soccer players to be transported back to the athletic facilities in the high school by the training staff's cart. Without the bridge, they have to be driven down Hart Road to get help.

“The short amount of time that trainers have not been able to get there in golf carts has concerned parents,” Kazmier said.

Thomas Campagna, the business and finance director of buildings and grounds, said the new bridge will be strong enough for emergency vehicles as well, potentially cutting down response time to a fire or medical crisis.

While the new bridge will be able to handle heavy vehicles, it will also be able to handle one of the lightest — the bicycle. Fencing higher than what's required for pedestrians or vehicles will be added to the bridge to accommodate for bicyclists' higher center of gravity, Campagna said.

Kazmier said the bridge will also be of great use to the students who park their cars in the “Field of Dreams” parking lot every day so they don't have to walk down Hart Road to get to class.

Board member Joseph Ruffolo said the new bridge will also feature lighting and security cameras, two things the old bridge lacked.

The $281,000 price tag is more than the quarter million-dollar estimate that staff members had made, but around $60,000 less than the next lowest price proposed by contractors. Kazmier said the project falls within the district's summer projects budget.

Campagna said now that the funding is approved, work on planning the bridge's installation will begin.

“We're going to look at the sports schedule to make sure we have the lowest impact,” Campagna said.

Campagna said the schedule is still being planned, but that the bridge will likely be installed in October.