Duluth Mayor Emily Larson announced today that the City is proposing to spend a little over $329,000 to design a retrofit for the bridge's machinery drive.

The Slip Bridge has been a staple in Canal Park since 1991. In a press conference Larson said "Finding a solution to the Slip Bridge has been a priority for me since I got elected and one that has direct impact on our economy and safe mobility for the 3 million tourists who visit Canal Park each year."

In the short term, the City has a contractor who will provide on-call emergency services during large scale events. The City will have a better estimate of the total cost of the retrofit once the designs are completed. The City anticipates starting construction in spring 2017 with the Bridge being fully operational by May 2017.

I'm all for the bridge to get a retrofit (which is an added component to something that did not have it when manufactured). I've always thought the slip bridge was pretty cool and tourists love it. Let me know in the comments what you think about the retrofit, or should the money go towards something else in the city?

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