The Atlantic City Council, Wednesday, approved the Plans, Specifications and Form of Contract for the Connector Trail and Pedestrian Bridge Project. Their action followed a public hearing, during which there were no comments. The Council subsequently received word from Snyder and Associates Engineer Dave Sturm, that the bids had been opened for the project and reviewed.

This is what the pedestrian bridge over Troublesome Creek will look like when it is installed.

Sturm said the low bid for the pedestrian bridge came from A.M. Cohron and Sons, of Atlantic, in the amount of $497, 049, which was $80,000 less than the engineer’s estimate of $599,730. Sturm said there were four bids altogether, and they were very close together.The project has been in the works since 2010. It’s expected to be completed by the end of November, weather permitting.

The City has agreed to contribute $50,000 from the Local Option Sales Tax (or, LOST) Progress Fund toward the project, which City Administrator John Lund said could serve as a potential launch pad for a number of economic development opportunities.

The Council also approved the Southeast Urban Renewal Plan Amendment, as it pertains to the Ash Street Housing Development project being proposed by Boose Building Construction. The estimated value created by the development, according to Lund, is Tax Increment Financing (TIF) amounting to slightly more than $1.02-million. Boose had requested TIF from the City to support the project.

The Council subsequently approved a Resolution authorizing an Internal Advance of Funds for the Urban Renewal Project, the TIF agreement for which amounts to $80,000. It will be repaid through revenue from the TIF district over the agreed upon terms outlined in the development agreement.