[kaneui]

Although $3.5M will help, Tucson and UofA will need a lot more money to get the proposed science center/bridge built, whose final cost may top $200M with the current design:


Rio Nuevo bridge project gets $3.5M funding boost
By Sarah J. Bell
ARIZONA DAILY STAR
11.23.2005

The Bridge of Knowledge project, a part of the University of Arizona Science Center at Rio Nuevo, has received a $3.5 million boost in federal funding.

The project, an arch and suspension pedestrian bridge spanning Interstate 10 and the Santa Cruz River, will link the science center on the west side of the river to Downtown.

"It is a time when everybody is cutting back and here we are getting this contribution," said Alexis Faust, Flandreau Science Center executive director. "We couldn't be more delighted."

Faust said Arizona U.S. Reps. Jim Kolbe, Ed Pastor, Raúl Grijalva and Sen. Jon Kyl were instrumental in securing the federal windfall.

While Faust said project costs have not been nailed down, she said the federal contribution will be added to money earmarked for construction. Construction is anticipated to begin within a year, Faust said, noting that it could take four years from design to completion.

Increasing construction costs are a concern, she said.

"We are definitely being as aggressive as possible about meeting additional budget demands to ensure that this project go forward," Faust said.

Last year, the federal government provided $500,000 in project funding.

Funding has also been supported by the Arizona Board of Regents, which approved bond funding of $73 million for the center.

The city has committed to contributing $20 million from the Rio Nuevo project approved by voters in 1999. Another $20 million in private endowment money is expected, along with private donations and government funds related to the widening of the interstate and restoration of the Santa Cruz River.