Kosciusko County Bridge 209, which carries Country Club Road over Eagle Creek, will be closed from Sept. 14 until approximately Nov. 25.
Kosciusko County Highway Superintendent Scott Tilden said today the structure was listed as a top priority of all the county’s bridges for replacement due to the 2014 bridge inspection report.
The report is mandated every two years by the federal government through the Indiana Department of Transportaion. The report characterized the bridge as “structurally deficient.” The bridge was placed on a one-year inspection cycle because of the defects.
“I know it’s an inconvenience, but I’m responsible for the bridges in the county and keeping them safe for all county residents,” Tilden said.
“That bridge was listed as a number-one priority after the 2014 inspection. The bridge needs to be replaced completely. The substructure and timber piles are showing minor rot,” he said.
Tilden also said the bridge exhibits symptoms of box beam failure, including spans of rebar exposed and rusting out, and “spalling” of concrete contained in the beams.
“Spalling” is when a large piece of concrete breaks or fragments into smaller pieces.
“There have been reports of box beam failures all over the country,” Tilden said. “We sure would hate to see a school bus go through.”
The county approved the purchase of replacement box beams for the bridge for $69,850 in June, and originally scheduled the work to start Sept. 8. Northern Indiana Construction Company of Mishawaka was awarded the contract.
Tilden said some residents have called his office with concerns about the inconvenience of a detour that adds approximatley three miles to a trip into Warsaw.
He said with the right of way the county has to work with, it would be impossible to work on one lane at a time.
He added that building a temporary bridge isn’t feasible either because of cost constraints. “That’s something that’s only done with major highways,” he noted.
“I’m sorry for the inconvenience,” Tilden said. “I understand it’s over two months on this, but sometimes we just have to do what we have to do. I have to keep the public safe and that bridge is a real concern. The good thing is, it only happens once every 40 or 50 years.”
He also remarked that the current situation is much better than a bridge failure.
“With a planned replacement like this one, we can do all the permitting that’s required – like through the Army Corps of Engineers – in advance. That can take up to a year. If a bridge goes down, that road could be closed for more than a year.”
Tilden said detours will be posted.
(Story By The Times Union)
