Residents heading to the Meridian Activity Center may encounter heavy equipment as work begins on a bridge replacement project nearby.

The 34th Street bridge, which spans Gallagher Creek, has been closed since 2017 leaving 32nd Avenue as the only way to reach the center and its programming. The city of Meridian was awarded $669,793 from the state-funded Emergency Road and Bridge Repair program in 2022 to help cover the cost of demolishing the bridge and building a new one in its place.

The City Council in June 2023 opened bids and awarded the project to Joe McGee Construction at a cost of $739,614. Work on the project had originally been set to begin in October, but was delayed slightly as the contractor worked to close out several other bridge projects in the region. In December, Public Works Director David Hodge reported crews were beginning to mobilize and would be on site soon.

Workers on Friday were busy clearing limbs and debris from the site, which had become severely overgrown after sitting unused for more than six years, and preparing the area for further demolition.