STAFF REPORT

 

Crime, tragedy and new business dominated the headlines during a busy 2015 in the Niles and Buchanan communities.

Editorial staff worked to generate a list of the top 10 stories based on the most impactful, most read and most talked about stories of the year. One issue that was discussed constantly throughout 2015 topped our list:

When will the bridge open?

That was a question asked of Niles Daily Star staff more often than any other during 2015.

The answer itself was a bit of a moving target.

Originally scheduled to open to traffic in mid-November, unexpected utility work and issues with the weather pushed the official opening date back a few weeks to Dec. 10.

In the end, it took workers 14 months to tear down the old Main Street Bridge and build the new one.

By all accounts, it was worth the wait.

The new bridge, with its arched railings and lookouts, is considered by most to be more aesthetically pleasing than the former bridge, which stood for more than 90 years.

It is also safer, with wider sidewalks and an improved intersection on the west side.

City officials praised the Michigan Department of Transportation (which led the $10 million project) for allowing residents to vote on what they wanted the bridge to look like.

The result is a structure that pays homage to the bowstring bridge that spanned the St. Joseph River from 1868 to 1919.

Niles Main Street Project Manager Lisa Croteau might have said it best when she described the bridge as being modern with a hint of the past.

Others described it as a beautiful entrance to the city’s downtown and Riverfront Park areas.

The opening of the bridge was attended by hundreds of people, who walked on the fresh concrete and took video and pictures of the first vehicles to cross.

Workers are expected to return in the spring to finish landscaping and other minor projects.