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That's what Tacoma City Council members were told Tuesday.
Even though officials haven't secured all of the estimated $80 million it will take to rehabilitate the bridge and re-open it to traffic, they are ready to replace the cables. That will allow the bridge to remain open to pedestrians, rather than lock it in the upright position -- something that was contemplated.
Jim Parvey, an assistant public works director, and Kevin Dayton, state Department of Transportation regional administrator, updated council members on the effort to rehabilitate the iconic bridge that connects downtown to the Tideflats.
It's been closed to vehicles since October, 2007.
The men outlined a four-phase approach to rehabilitating the bridge that starts with replacing the cables.
Doing so will cost about the same amount -- $3 million -- as it would to lock the bridge in the upright position. The money might as well be spent on something that will contribute to the rehab effort, they said.
About $36 million is currently set aside for bridge work.
"At this point, we are ready to move forward with the design of the lift cable replacement," Parvey said. The work is scheduled to be finished by July.
The other phases include:
* Rehabilitating the center truss. Estimated cost: $54.1 million.
* Fixing the approach on the downtown Tacoma end of the bridge. Estimated cost: $14.9 million.
* Fixing the approach on the Port of Tacoma side of the bridge. Estimated cost: $8.3 million.
Officials hope to complete all of the work by 2013.
Council members were generally pleased by the news, but they also expressed their continuing frustration with the state Department of Transportation for allowing the state-owned span to deteriorate to its current condition.
Councilman Mike Lonergan said he worried that despite the efforts of state Rep. Dennis Flannigan, D-Tacoma, to secure state funding, the bridge would not be a top priority compared to other big-ticket items such as the Highway 520 floating bridge and the Alaskan Way Viaduct in Seattle.
Mayor Bill Baarsma said he believed that Flannigan, had he been able to attend the council's study session, would have expressed optimism about the chances of securing additional state funding. Baarsma also thinks there is an "excellent" chance of landing federal money.
"What we really need, it seems to me, to secure that state and federal funding is to start the process," he said.
