Over the opposition of preservationists, the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday ended nearly three years of debate on the fate of Watmaugh Bridge outside of Sonoma, voting to scrap the aging span and replace it with a new one.

The future of an aging steel-truss bridge near Sonoma is set to be decided Tuesday by the Sonoma County Board of Supervisors. The board is scheduled to cast a straw vote on a proposal to replace the 83-year-old Watmaugh Bridge spanning Sonoma Creek and linking Arnold Drive with Highway 12.

The Sonoma County Board of Supervisors on Tuesday took charge of a proposal to replace a historic steel-truss bridge near Sonoma, despite objections that the move is intended to fast-track the project without adequate public input. The project involves Watmaugh Bridge, built in 1929 to span Sonoma Creek and connect what is today Arnold Drive with Highway 12 leading into Sonoma. County officials want to replace the bridge with a new one, saying the span is at risk of collapse during an earthquake or major flood because of erosion around the piers that support it.

Sonoma County transit planners want to begin work on replacing a historic steel-truss bridge near Sonoma over the objections of preservationists and neighbors.

Sonoma County transit planners have gone back to their original plan to replace a historic steel truss bridge near Sonoma following another contentious hearing over the span’s fate. County officials had proposed erecting a new span adjacent to Watmaugh Road Bridge in an effort to appease those who want the bridge retrofitted and preserved.

County officials, stung by criticism over their plans to replace a historic steel truss bridge near Sonoma, are now proposing to keep the bridge and build a new one downstream.