The apparent low bid for rehabbing the Camden Bridge in Minneapolis is more than $1 million below estimates, and that's good news for the Minneapolis fire department.

That's because the city plans to use about $810,000 of the savings to prevent the layoffs of at least a dozen firefighters.

What's the connection between bridge bids and firefighters?

The closing of the bridge for at least five months means that nearby fire stations on each side of the Mississippi River can't readily back each other up, especially with the Lowry Bridge also being replaced. So fire officials plan to add a second engine at Station 15 at 2701 Johnson St. NE. The Camden Bridge connects 42nd Avenue N. and 37th Avenue NE.

The city last fall gave layoff notices to 27 firefighters, all in the face of a looming 2010 budget gap.

As part of a multi-pronged effort to avoid that, the City Council in December decreed that up to $810,000 of any savings below the estimated bridge rehab cost of $10.8 million would go to the fire budget, buttressing fire protection in areas near the closure.

The apparent low bid from Lunda Construction Co was $9.54 million for what is the city's largest capital project using stimulus money. The low bid means that the city will return a small amount of the $10 million in federal stimulus money earmarked for the bridge and can help firefighters by dipping into some of the $4 million in city funds it earmarked for the project.

"It's definitely going to oomph-up the protection," said Council President Barbara Johnson, whose ward adjoins the west end of the bridge.

The city is planning for a March 15 construction start on a project that will give the bridge a major overhaul. According to public works officials, the bridge is structurally deficient, although the project kept getting pushed back in the city's capital projects list. But the appearance of federal stimulus money prompted the city to dip into its own coffers for the local match.

Plans call for replacing the bridge's deteriorating roadway and replacing corroded railings. Hangers that hold beams supporting the deck will be replaced. The bridge also will get new lighting to match that on nearby parkways. The city said the work will allow it to avoid the month of painting and pavement patching it invests in the bridge each year.

"The railing is completely shot," Johnson said. "I always tell my friends, 'Don't let your kids lean on the railing.'"

Steve Brandt • 612-673-4438