The bridge spanning the Thunder Bay River on Bagley Street has long been a problem for snowmobilers, bicyclists and walkers.

But this week, Alpena County Commissioners agreed to start the process of looking into how much it would cost to reconstruct, and what type of grants or other funding opportunities might be available to pay for it.

The bridge isn’t wide enough for snowmobilers and walkers to cross at the same time and there are other safety concerns.

Commissioner Tom Mullaney has been outspoken about replacing the current structure for years.  He is now on an ad hoc committee tasked with finding a way to make it happen.

The committee will also speak with other stakeholders like the city, township and road commission to see what sort of collaborative effort can be put forth toward the project.

Commissioner Mark Hall is also on the committee and said he knows the scope of the job is “huge” but said the county can’t shy away from projects just because of their size.