Montrose County Commissioner Sean Pond held an informal community meeting in Nucla on May 3 at the Nucla Community Center with Road & Bridge Superintendent Bo Andrews, Interim Public Works Director Brandon Wallace and a representative of Umetco, Tom Geick. There, they met with the public to listen to ideas about the future of the Uravan bridge.
Just weeks ago, Montrose County held a work session to discuss what to do with it. In light of that, Jane Thompson, of the Rimrocker Historical Society, ran a column two weeks about about the bridge. It’s the second-oldest bridge in Colorado, constructed in the 1880s, and moved to Uravan from Grand Junction in the 1930s. Only, the bridge does need some repair work, and it’s on Umetco property that seems to be increasing in popularity because of the Shamrock Trail. One side of the bridge is owned by Umetco; the other side is BLM land.
Umetco has mentioned it’s possible demolition or relocation, and Pond said it’s important to keep the community involved. In the next few years, Umetco needs to sign the property over to the Department of Energy (DOE), in light of the uranium cleanup efforts that took place.
Montrose County is not saying they want the bridge gone; in fact, Pond said he rather likes it. It’s possible the land and the bridge be deeded back to the county. Pond said it could be used for foot and bicycle traffic, though it will never pass a vehicle inspection again.
The bridge could also be relocated. Pond said he makes no promises, but he wants the public to give their ideas. The biggest safety issue at this point is the decking.
Chris Daniels is concerned about the public footing the bill. She said the bridge has been discussed in earlier West End Solutions Group meetings. She wonders if a toll can be installed, if it is to remain open for pedestrians. She said if it’s demolished, pieces could be sold to offset the cost of that effort.
Pond said he has no information on costs or funding. He said federal grants could potentially be used. He mentioned the Rimrocker Historical Society, but Aimee Tooker, whose family runs the museum and nonprofit, said the Rimrockers don’t want it. Tooker is concerned about costs to remediate the bridge.
Sara Bachman said she worked on a master plan for parks and open space a few years ago in Naturita. She wonders about the bridge being relocated to Naturita as part of the trails system, and if it could connect the park to Crabtree Road. In this way, it would save the history, while repurposing it. She said she doesn’t speak for the town or park committee, but moving it to Naturita should be on the list of possibilities.
Geick said there might be funds to make relocation happen.
Miranda Fengel asked that the county explore national historic funds, and those could mitigate costs. She said perhaps the bridge could be placed on a historic registry, and especially if it’s the last surviving structure of Uravan.
Geick said the DOE is not in a hurry though. At some point, Umetco’s license will be terminated, and the property will be transferred to the DOE, but he estimates that’s two to three years from now.
“We have time to work on the bridge,” he said, “but it’s an issue that needs to be addressed. It’s a public safety issue, one way or another.”
Daniels asked if Pond could include the community before decisions were made. Pond said “absolutely” and that he would bring options and costs back to the West End. Bachman asked Gieck if Umetco might be a funding partner for the bridge’s future. He said he’d make the connections for that discussion.
Pond said any comments or questions about the bridge should be sent to Montrose County Commissioners. He said the board has work sessions on Mondays and decision-making meetings on Wednesdays. He said meetings are recorded and remain public information, so people can tune in. He said he’d hold additional community meetings as needed. He said it’s important for people attend, and that in the future meetings about solar farms are coming up.
“If we aren’t hearing from you, we are not informed,” Pond said.
