The fate of the now closed New Harmony Bridge will be discussed at a public meeting Saturday in New Harmony.
Government officials from both Indiana and Illinois will be there to go over options for the bridge.
The bridge is closed and has been for some time. Debate over what to do with a bridge, that state representatives say can barely support its own weight, has raged on for decades.
Now, it looks as though we may reach a viable solution to this problem in the coming days.
"It's a vital link. So it's important enough for us to figure out how to solve this problem," said State Representative Wendy McNamara.
McNamara says the New Harmony Bridge was deemed 'functionally obsolete' back in the 90's, alluding to the idea that something should have been done to fix or replace the bridge years ago.
"Unfortunately, through the past decades, there's been band-aids put on this bridge," McNamara told 14 News.
'Band-aids' that have never quite healed the bridge's wounds. McNamara says Saturday's meeting will aim to develop an action plan for building, and sustaining, a new bridge, incorporating a generous offer from INDOT.
"We are now offering to participate in construction of a new structure, and will have pledged $10 million which we believe is half the cost," said Cher Elliot with INDOT.
"If it's owned by Posey County or by White County or whoever, then they are available for grants to continue the upkeep," McNamara said.
McNamara says many local businesses and hospitals depend on the bridge, when it comes to bringing in out-of-town customers and making ambulance runs.
Therefore, she says, this is not simply a New Harmony issue, but one that concerns much of southwest Indiana.
"On Friday nights and Saturdays, our regular customers are from Illinois. They're from Grayville, and Crossville, and Carmi, Enfield, Burnt Prairie, and they all come that way. So, you can see a difference that they don't come every Friday. They come like once a month now," said the owner of Pop's Grill, Brenda Hottel.
Saturday's meeting is open to the public, and it will be held at 9:00 a.m. at the Ribeyre Gymnasium.
McNamara says the most important aspect of the meeting is deciding who will pay the other $10 million it will take to build a new bridge.
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The current New Harmony Bridge has been shut down for a while now, considered too dangerous.
