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Closed bridge, still being used, poses Floyd County liability concerns

By Bob Steenson, bsteenson@charlescitypress.com

The Floyd County supervisors spent part of their meeting Tuesday morning discussing a bridge that’s been closed in the northeastern part of the county, but that is still being used by area residents for pedestrian traffic and which those residents say is vital for travel in the area.

The bridge is a steel truss structure on 130th Street. Although it has been legally closed for about 10 years, people in the area, especially Mennonite families, use it as a pedestrian bridge or bicycling bridge. Without it, people would have to walk several miles to get to the other side of the riverl.

Some of the way around would be along Underwood Avenue, a busy road.

Floyd County Engineer Adam Miller said once a bridge has been closed for 10 years it no longer counts toward state funding and the county looks to demolish it. He said he thinks this bridge will be 10 years old this summer.

“They are no longer any benefit to the county. They become only strictly a liability,” Miller said.

A group of Mennonites and others have approached the county about options, including purchasing the bridge from the county, having the county take the bridge down but leaving the abutments so a private bridge can be constructed, or the county building a new bridge.

Miller said he had contacted the engineering firm the county uses to inspect bridges, and was told by their consultant that the bridge would not be rated to even be used as a pedestrian bridge, and that further the company wouldn’t inspect the bridge because of liability concerns.

Miller said he recommends that the bridge – along with a wooden bridge in the area that has also been closed – be further barricaded even from pedestrian traffic until they can be demolished.

Supervisor Chair Dennis Keifer asked, “Is the county willing to build them a new bridge?”

Miller said, “That would be up to the board of supervisors,” but he said even a pedestrian bridge over the approximately 120-foot span could cost about a million dollars.

Supervisor Gloria Carr said, “And that would be not a good use of county funds in my sense to build a pedestrian bridge in that area.”

“I would agree to that statement,” Miller said.

But Keifer said he disagreed.

“If you stand at the west end of the bridge that’s currently there and look across the field, that’s where their schoolhouse is. That’s where they have to go. And we have to accommodate all of our residents of the county, not just those that are convenient.”

Miller said, “And I am definitely open to looking at other options. I don’t know if there would be some local landowners that would be willing to open their land up, maybe putting like a walking trail along the river to get to another bridge that’s less than a mile away, potentially. I’m sure there’s another option out there.”

Others in the audience suggested selling or giving the bridge to the landowners and abandoning the road.

Gordon Boge said, “So abandon that chunk of road, quick claim that abandoned portion of the road to Mr. Martin and Mr. Westegaard and there’s no liability left to the county. The Mennonites are responsible for that bridge. It’s their liability if you abandon that road.”

But County Attorney Todd Prichard said at the meeting that as long as the county knows the bridge is substandard there is a liability regardless of how it transfers the property.

“My responsibility is the public safety and the county’s liability. In both of those, there’s a safety issue with the bridge,” he said.

Asked how long the county’s liability would last if it transferred the bridge, Prichard said “Probably forever.”

“We really can’t give you, without creating a liability, something that we know is dangerous,” he said.

Prichard asked if there were other places in the area where a shorter pedestrian bridge could be built, but no one had an answer for that at the meeting.

Another issue, Miller said, is that there is supposed to be list coming out later this year regarding national historic bridges, and there is a chance that older steel truss bridges like this one might be added to that list. The county’s bridge consultant recommended not taking any action until that list comes out.

“I think we better wait for that because I don’t want to tear down a historic structure before I know it’s historic,” Miller said.

Supervisor Boyd Campbell said it looks like they will need to wait until that list comes out before taking any action.

“I’ve been up and talked with Martin and all you guys. And I was very sympathetic, OK?” Campbell said. “But I do understand the law here, too. And Todd’s right. We can’t give you something that we know there’s a problem. I walked across it and thought it was fine, but I’m not an engineer.”

Keifer said, “We’re going to have to work  on it some more. See what else we can come up with.”

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