The City of Renton is looking at other options to remove a logjam from a footbridge over the Cedar River, now that a contractor has deemed the work to remove it risky.

The logjam built up behind the footbridge to Riverview Park on State Route 169, following last weekend’s major rainstorm that sent the Cedar into a Phase 4 flood alert.

The removal is complicated by the continued high flows on the Cedar.

The river’s level has dropped but still remains above typical flows for this time of year. Friday, the flow was 4,270 cubic feet per second. The previous maximum flow for Jan. 21 was in 1972, at 3,680 cfs.

More rain in the Cascades is expected Friday, which amounts tapering off over the weekend. The National Weather Service has had a flood warning in place all week for the Cedar and Green rivers.

The options include bringing in a crane to lift the logs and other debris from the river, said Todd Black, with the City of Renton Community Services Department.

The crane would sit at or near the parking lot for the park on SR 169. It’s a tight fit, Black said.

“It’s like pick up sticks,” said Black of using a crane. He stressed that’s just one option.

Black said Friday the bridge “is fine,” calling it well-built structurally. The logjam, which continues to build up, is resting against a steel pole designed to take pressure of the bridge in such situationsl

“We are taking it one day at a time,” said Black. He indicated the city could leave the logjam in place “for a period of time.”

There is no cost estimate of how much the removal would cost, he said. The money could come from emergency funds or from insurance, he said.