KIRKLAND – The Village of Kirkland and DeKalb County Highway Department held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to open the new Hortense Street bridge on Nov. 9. The bridge was closed on Aug. 10, 2010. Because village funds were not available for the needed repairs, the village and the county worked together to secure federal funds to build the project.

Planning for the demolition and reconstruction of the Hortense Street bridge began March 28, 2012 with design and construction completed in seven months. At the ribbon cutting, Mayor Les Bellah attributed this success to the positive collaboration between all involved parties. This $215,000 project came in 15 percent under budget.

“This project was one of cooperation between federal, state, county and municipal governments and a testament to what can be accomplished by working together,” DeKalb County Engineer Nathan Schwartz said.