Spokane-based Wesslen Construction Inc. is the apparent low bidder on a long-awaited $822,000 project in Spokane's University District to convert an abandoned railroad bridge across the Spokane River into a pedestrian-and-cyclist bridge.

Gary Nelson, a principal engineer with the city of Spokane, says work on the bridge, which is known as Iron Bridge, is expected to start soon, and the bridge should be open to the public by this fall. The bridge is located a few blocks northeast of the Spokane Falls Boulevard-Hamilton Street intersection.

The conversion project will include constructing a new asphalt-over-concrete bridge deck and deck support system, as well as modifying the trail approaches to the bridge, adding a railing, and making other needed repairs.

The project to rehabilitate Iron Bridge was re-bid earlier this spring by the city of Spokane, which owns the property, because the first round of bids came in over budget.

The low bidder in the first round last November was Max J. Kuney Co., of Spokane, and that company's bid of just over $1 million was more than $200,000 above the project's budget of $830,000. In the most recent bid results, Max J. Kuney was the second-lowest bidder at about $889,000.

The city's engineering department opted to rebid the project this spring after making some revisions to bring the construction costs under budget, Nelson says. The revised plan includes less painting and cleaning of the bridge structure, he says.

The first project contract included painting the bottom of the structure and up to 10 feet of it above the bridge's deck, he says. The altered contract, which Nelson says he expects to be awarded to Wesslen Construction during next week's Spokane City Council meeting, will include only painting the portions of the bridge that will come into contact with its asphalt-over-concrete deck.

When it's completed, the Iron Bridge will provide a link to the Ben Burr Trail, which stretches through East Spokane on the south side of Interstate 90 between Liberty and Underhill parks, and the Centennial Trail. The Centennial Trail passes by the west end of the Iron Bridge.

The efforts to fix up the old railroad bridge are being funded by the Washington state Recreation and Conservation Office and some federal programs.

Before being bid last fall, the long-planned project already had been delayed for several years, which caused disagreements between a partner in the nearby multimillion-dollar Iron Bridge Corporate Campus office complex and city officials.