Commissioner Preston on downtown Fargo bridge project: "Plain old pedestrian bridge is not going to do it"

(Fargo, ND) -- Fargo City Commissioner Arlette Preston says the commission needs to carefully consider how much money to spend on a proposed pedestrian bridge from City Hall to the west side of the Red River.

"If we're going to do this, we have to do it right so that it is something worth our time and energy. So just a plain old pedestrian bridge is not going to do it," said Preston.

Initial price tags for the project had the highest range for the project reaching upwards of $11 million. However, Preston said spending closer to $3 million might be more realistic. That's the amount of a federal grant already set aside for the project. 

Preston says the city has a lot of priorities when it comes to spending and said the commission must evaluate the bridge project based on other needs. She says the maintenance of streets and highway has been "suffering" over the past few years. 

Preston made the comments while appearing on The Jay Thomas Show.