County Weighs Cost Of Bridges

— Replacing a pair of old bridges is a case of doing what’s right rather than doing what’s affordable for some Benton County officials.

Justice of the Peace Bobby Hubbard said he’s going to press for the county to replace both Fisher Ford Bridge and Colonel Meyers Road Bridge.

“It just strikes me as odd that we can say to the people out there ‘Yes, it’s been a county road for 100 years, but we’re sorry, we’re going to close it because of the cost,” Hubbard said. “I feel like it’s our responsibility to keep them open.”

Hubbard said part of the problem stems from the conflicts between rural and urban interests in the county. He said there has been a tendency to neglect rural areas.

“There’s not enough JPs who spend time driving on these county roads,” Hubbard said.

“I’m going to keep trying (to get the bridges replaced),” Hubbard said. “I think times are tight right now, but that doesn’t mean this can’t be a priority.”

“Right now, the only services most people who live in rural area see are roads and bridges. And I feel like the county lets them down on that already.”

Fisher Ford Bridge crosses the Illinois River and was built in 1903. The bridge was closed to traffic in April 2005.

Colonel Meyers Road Bridge spans Osage Creek and was built in 1911. It was closed to traffic in May 2008. According to information from the county, the average daily traffic count on the bridge in 1987 was 67 vehicles.

The county had a study done on the cost of repairing Fisher Ford Bridge,. The project manager reported repairs would not solve all of the problems with the bridge and could not guarantee it would remain open for any length of time.

After getting the report on the Fisher Ford Bridge, county administrators put off doing a similar study on the Colonel Meyers Bridge until the Quorum Court gives them direction on how to proceed. The Quorum Court’s Committee of 13 will hear a report on the cost of replacing the bridges when the panel meets Aug. 10.

County administrator Greg Hines said there are four bridges closed on county roads, but only Fisher Ford Bridge and Colonel Meyers Road Bridge were on roads that saw real use. One of the other bridges is on a county road that is also closed, Hines said, while the second is on a road that ends at the Ozark National Forest.

Hines said there is no money in the Benton County Road Department budget for the kind of projects being considered, so the Quorum Court would have to appropriate money to get any work done.

He estimated the cost to replace Colonel Meyers Bridge between $500,000 and $700,000 and $1.2 million to $1.4 million to replace Fisher Ford Bridge. Building bridges on the scale required is beyond the capacity of the road department, Hines said, so the work could not be done by the county.

Justice of the Peace Kurt Moore, chairman of the Quorum Court’s finance committee, said cost is a consideration, but is not the deciding factor for him.

“The main responsibility of the Quorum Court and the county judge is to keep the roads open and passable,” Moore said. “We need to be able to afford it.”

Moore said he would propose the county take out a five-year note to pay for replacing the two bridges. That would keep the county’s reserve intact while getting the two projects done in a timely manner.

Moore said he wants county officials to consider more than the number of residents who might use the bridges, He said having routes for fire departments and other emergency services vehicles was also important.

“Ultimately, I think you need to do what’s right,” Moore said.

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At A Glance

County Bridges

• Fisher Ford Bridge was built in 1903 and closed to traffic in 2005.

• Colonel Meyers Bridge was built in 1911 and closed to traffic in 2008.

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