The labor of love to refurbish a historic bridge in Staunton is in its final stages. The Sears Hill Pedestrian Bridge has been restored, using a combination of new steel and original pieces dating back more than a century.
Decades of decay had forced inspectors to declare the span unsafe in January 2010. Since then, the bridge has been in the hands of volunteer builders and metalworkers.
"A lot of these fabricators are trying to be civic-minded and work with the community," said Bill Frazier with the Save the Bridge Committee. "And so they're fitting it in as they have time to fit it in. So we're happy to wait a little longer for a better deal. It's still not an inexpensive project."
The price tag is nearly $200,000. The Sears Hill Pedestrian Bridge might be lowered back into place in downtown Staunton sometime this fall.
