Lake Havasu City’s historic London Bridge could get some company in the next couple of years as the city is working toward construction of a second bridge to the rapidly developing Island. Construction could begin as soon as January 2027. Greg Moberly
LAKE HAVASU CITY – Plans for Lake Havasu City’s second bridge to the Island are progressing rapidly, Mayor Cal Sheehy recently told residents at a community meeting.
Construction and planning documents are 60% complete, Sheehy told an audience assembled for the Coffee with the Mayor and Two Chiefs session on Friday in the City Council chambers. 100% of the possible design could be completed by mid- to late-fall, he said. The City Council would follow that up with its input on the final design, he added.
The new bridge, which has been in the city’s long-range planning for decades, is expected to relieve the burden on the city’s historic London Bridge, the lone access to the rapidly developing Island and the rest of town. The second bridge would span the Bridgewater Channel and be located on the northern end of the Bridgewater Channel.
Havasu has $35.5 million in state funding committed to the project.
Construction could start as soon as January 2027 with an 18-month window expected for completion, Sheehy said.
Multiple state and federal agencies are required to sign off on aspects of the project. That includes the U.S. Coast Guard, which Sheehy mentioned on Friday, having a whole year to review the impact of the bridge proposal.
Other topics at Friday’s meeting included recruitment efforts at both Havasu police and fire departments. For one thing, Fire Chief Pete Pilafas said he has 40% of his workforce eligible to retire between this year and 2030 and this is why it’s vital to create a pipeline of homegrown talent ready to join the department.
Also, concern was expressed over recent graffiti in certain locations around town.
“It’s not a constant problem, but runs in spurts,” said Police Chief Troy Stirling. One individual was arrested on multiple counts for a recent series of tagging or graffiti vandalism, he said.
Greg Moberly
