JOHNSON COUNTY- It's "so far-so good" for plans to resurrect the historic Sutliff bridge in northeastern Johnson County.

One span of that 112-year-old picturesque hiking and fishing bridge over the Cedar River got swept away during the floods of June. But on Monday, bridge supporters were climbing around what remained standing as a first big step towards reconstruction.

The Sutliff Bridge Authority hired a testing company from the Quad Cities to use ultrasound equipment to probe some of the "pins" holding major bridge components together. Late on Monday, one supporter reported that the company found no problems with the support structures.

If a separate engineering company signs off on tests as well, then it would be technically possible to rebuild the lost portions of the bridge.

Bridge supporters also hired a contractor to pull the tangled remains of the lost span out of the Cedar River. That company began the process on Monday, but will need to return Tuesday to finish the job.

Jack Moel, a member of the Sutliff Bridge Authority said it's critical to get a good report from testing companies to proceed. "We figure people will give us money to rebuild, not tear it down. So we're hopeful and so far they're saying the pins are very good," he said.

It might be possible to span the missing gap of the historic bridge with a different kind of pedestrian bridge. That would be the cheapest fix at about $500,000. But bridge supporters say that would mean losing the historic designation for the entire structure.

Supporters believe they have a good shot at major repair funding from FEMA because the bridge was on the National Historic Register and because they are a nonprofit group. No one is sure how much a faithful recreation would cost, but supporters say with enough federal support they believe they could get donors to fill in the gaps.

The group has established a fund at two banks to collect donations. Donors can contribute at either the Solon State Bank in Solon or the Bridge Community Bank in Mt. Vernon. Organizers say they're received about $10,000 since the span fell in June. However, they don't plan a major push until they're sure about reconstruction plans.