Maxwell told Anacortes Now that he's hired HDR Engineering of Burlington to do a quick structural analysis of the damaged 300 feet of the trestle across Fidalgo Bay and that he hopes to have a preliminary report by Monday night on how much repairs will cost. He said HDR had a crew at the trestle Monday morning.
He said he's hoping the damage was mostly to the upper section of the trestle and that the integrity of the pilings is the big issue in rebuilding.
He said he's had a tremendous amount of feedback from Anacortes citizens interested in quickly rebuilding the damaged portion of the trestle.
As to paying for repairs, Maxwell indicated that may be grant funding from trails groups or other groups available to help with the city's expenses. He also said he expects to get a committee working on plans for repairs as soon as he has a better handle on how difficult or expensive repairs will be.
A 300 foot section of the half-mile long trestle burned last Thursday, pouring black smoke over Anacortes. The fire is being investigated as arson.