Jefferson County is getting quite a deal — construction of a pedestrian bridge over 6th Avenue, connecting south Golden neighborhoods to county offices and the new light-rail station, without having to put up a dime of funding.

But the devil has been in the details, details the Board of County Commissioners wanted worked out before giving the $2,270,000 bridge project its blessing.

The bridge was initially part of the Regional Transportation District’s (RTD) light-rail plan, approved by voters in 2004. Due to skyrocketing construction costs, RTD decided to cut the Golden bridge a year later.

Golden took up the effort of funding and building the bridge, securing $300,000 of its own money, along with $1.97 million in RTD and federal transportation funds.

Golden Mayor Marjorie Sloan, and Golden Planning Director Steve Glueck had brought the bridge project before the Jeffco commissioners twice in recent weeks, seeking the county’s approval. They also wanted two land easements, to allow the bridge to be completed by the opening of the RTD West Rail Line in April 2013.

Both times the commissioners balked. Their concerns varied from the bridge’s placement, wanting to sell land instead of grant easements, aesthetics and the justification to build it at all.

“Seems like an awful big expense for a small pool of people,” Commissioner John Odom said during the July 17 meeting, referring to the opening-year bridge-use estimates of 200 to 300 people per day.

“Crossing a barrier as substantial as a state highway is an important connection to make for residents,” Glueck said by phone after the meeting.

“It probably does make a lot of sense to have a bridge there. I`m just not crazy on the way it looks,” Commissioner Faye Griffin said.

Commissioner Don Rosier was the most critical of the plan, calling any attempt to move forward with the bridge project “premature,” without updated 6th Avenue corridor studies and the approval of the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT).

Kevin French, the county’s transportation and engineering director, said during the meeting that the 2004 RTD plan already showed the bridge to accommodate all of CDOT’s future expansion plans for 6th Avenue

Sloan called the county response disappointing.

“It’s kind of shocking to hear this now,” she said, pointing out that the effort to build the bridge has been in the works for seven years.

Glueck said that as long as the commissioner’s issues could be resolved within 45 to 90 days, the bridge can still be built on schedule.