The bridge that connected the old Eugene City Hall to the Lane County Building has been sent to the scrap heap. The city tried to give it away, but there were no takers.
Mike Penwell, Eugene City Hall Project Manager, says the bridge was steeper than what's allowable under Americans with Disabilities Act requirements. It was also narrower than what is standard for bike and pedestrian bridges. The city had wanted to give the bridge away.
"We got a number of inquiries as we got closer to demolition and there was a newspaper article in the Register Guard that prompted a few more inquiries. But once people understood the limitations they lost interest pretty quickly."
Penwell says the steel bridge will be melted down and made into something else. The city has tried to repurpose or recycle as much material as possible in the demolition of City Hall. Crews will start work on the new City Hall building early next year.