Clayton County will repair two deficient bridges this construction season
By Willis Patenaude, Times-Register
According to the County Structurally Deficient Bridges Report for fiscal year 2022, Clayton County currently has 21 bridges out of 231 that qualify. Statewide, that number was close to 4,300 at the start of 2022, but has since risen to over 4,500.
The report states that a structurally deficient bridge is one that has deterioration, cracks or other flaws that reduce its load carrying capacity, create waterway blockages, lead to traffic interruptions or simply become a safety liability.
In an effort to combat this, Clayton County Engineer Casey Stickfort and the Secondary Roads Department are tackling some of the county’s structurally deficient bridges. Two are lined up over the next few months, starting with the bridge on 295th Street which runs over a tributary to the Turkey River and was rated in “poor” condition. Some of the issues including cracking on the east wing wall, underside steel damage, a poor deck rating and the guardrails falling off.
Originally built in the early 1900s, it has been deemed “functionally obsolete” and in “substandard condition.” Stickfort noted, “The deterioration of various components throughout the bridge necessitated complete replacement of the bridge.”
Another issue is that it’s a one-lane bridge serving two-way traffic. The bridge has also been embargoed for load, which simply means bridges are not up to modern design standards, and while they can still allow for regular traffic, are not structurally sound enough to withstand heavier loads or vehicles.
In the case of this bridge, Stickfort stated the structure’s steel beams were “undersized for current loads.”
Stickfort explained the bridge was not a “good candidate for repair, as the cost of repairs would have exceeded half the cost of a new bridge while only providing a quarter of the longevity.” Additionally, the narrowness of the bridge is not just difficult to address during repair, it’s also costly.
The current bridge, which measures 16 feet wide and 34 feet long, runs over a small stream and was made with high concrete abutments, steel stringers and a concrete deck. It will be replaced by a concrete bridge that stretches to 30 feet wide, which will bring it up to county standards, and will be 65 feet long. It has a life expectancy of 60 years.
The increase in measurement stems from several factors, including the hydraulic capacity, site grading, roadway geometry and current codes and statutes. Moreover, the increase in width and length was done for hydraulic purposes, namely the passage of water and debris under the bridge to prevent damage or collapse during flooding.
“A properly sized bridge balances all of these requirements to select the most economical structure size for a specific site. The specific length of the bridge on 295th Street was selected to minimize adjustments to the roadway profile while providing the hydraulic capacity and necessary freeboard clearances required by the regulatory agencies,” Stickfort explained.
This project was officially bid on in November 2022 and awarded around December to Taylor Construction, who came in with the lowest bid. Stickfort noted they’ve been “great to work with,” are local and a company that spans three generations.
The cost of the project, or the contract amount, is estimated to be $416,000, and is being funded through the Highway Bridge Program, which utilizes federal funds. It had a start date of earlier this month and is expected to be completed by the end of summer, barring interruptions in the 70 allotted working days.
The second of the two bridge projects is one on Acorn Road, which runs over a tributary to the Maquoketa River on a dead end road that serves two property owners. This 16-foot-wide structure spans 23 feet and was originally built in 1951. It was constructed with timber abutment piles, steel stringers and a timber deck. Although it was repaired in 1974, it was also deemed “functionally obsolete.”
“The deterioration of various components throughout the bridge necessitated complete replacement of the bridge. The steel beams were undersized for current loads, which resulted in the weight embargo, [and] the timber abutment components had reached the end of their serviceable life and also required replacement,” Stickfort said.
The project was bid on in 2021 and was supposed to begin last July, before being revised in August 2022 with a new start date of March 15, of 2023. K Construction, which was awarded the bid, did not meet that start date either, though Stickfort said the project, as of now, has been started.
K Construction assured “they can complete the project on time.” Stickfort added that, while the company is running behind, they’re also a “great local contractor that brings value to Clayton County.”
“They are looking to have the deck poured next week, which should put them ahead of schedule,” Stickfort said. “I have been very impressed with the contractor’s progress.”
Much like the other bridge project, repairing rather than replacing wasn’t economically feasible due to the bridge’s age and condition. It will also see an increase in size, with the new structure widening to 30 feet, while being lengthened to 40 feet.
However, unlike the other bridge project, this one did not receive federal funding because it didn’t meet the requirements. According to Stickfort, one of the primary reasons it did not qualify was the “low average daily traffic for the roadway.” The estimated $281,000 cost is being paid for using local option sales tax (LOST), or taxpayer funded.
While other bridges on the list are equally deficient and serve more residents, Stickfort, who was not the engineer when this project was selected and approved, defended the project, stating, “It is the responsibility of the county to maintain all the roads and bridges in our system, regardless of how many residents are served.”
As for the financial impact on Clayton County residents, Stickfort added, “for the amount of structures we have…it’s not going to impact the residents. I feel that, given that we’re going to serve the property owners, and that’s kind of our responsibility as a government body. They’re taxpayers just like you and I are.”
One side note to the two projects is the lack of a detour for both bridges, but Stickfort noted local authorities and those impacted by the closure were contacted.
Beyond these two bridges, Stickfort has a five-year plan to get 10 bridges lined up to be fixed over the next 10 years. That would bring Clayton County’s current number of deficient bridges to less than 10, barring other bridges being added to the list over the same time frame.
One thing that is making this task difficult is funding constraints, especially at the state and federal levels. Coupled with the cost of bridges and structures increasing over 20 percent in the last year, the number of available dollars is reduced, which also decreases the number of qualified bridges that can be repaired or replaced and removed from the list.
While Stickfort has a plan in motion to address this over the long term, it is expected that bridges will be added to the list as being structurally deficient in the coming years, making this an unending battle of sorts.
