By BOB SHRALUKA
WZBD.com
The closing of a major bridge in downtown Decatur is already causing traffic problems – and others are coming in the future.
Decatur’s annual Fourth of July celebration, for example, will be affected in a big way by the bridge closing, it was noted at the Tuesday meeting of city council.
The Wendell Macklin Bridge on Monroe St. (US 224) was closed on May 27 by the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT). The project involves a bridge deck overlay, a protective layer applied to repair damage and extend the bridge’s life.
The bridge is expected to be closed through much of August.
The city’s Fourth of July celebration is scheduled for Thursday, July 2, featuring a concert, veterans recognition and fireworks.
The concert, as it was last year, will be held in the Riverside Center parking lot, featuring Proud Mary CCR (Credence Clearwater Revival).
“We will be talking about (problems caused by the bridge being closed) with department heads and others,” Mayor Dan Rickord said.
HOW MUCH?: Meanwhile, council briefly debated how much the city should donate to the celebration, which is annually sponsored and staged by the Chamber of Commerce.
Council has given $250 to the cause in recent years, but there was some feeling that a larger donation should be made.
“With inflation, I feel it’s a fair ask,” Councilwoman Jenny Bowers-Shultz said.
“I appreciate the Chamber doing it every year … we don’t have to do it,” Mayor Dan Rickord added.
Councilman Scott Murray suggested giving the matter some more thought and tabling it until the next meeting, on May 19.
The vote was 4-0 in favor, with Councilman Abby Wilder absent.
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