County expects War Eagle Bridge costs in November

Engineer to present plan to Committee of the Whole

 The War Eagle Bridge is an historic Benton County landmark and a centerpiece of the War Eagle community.
The War Eagle Bridge is an historic Benton County landmark and a centerpiece of the War Eagle community.

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County officials expect to know by November what to do and how much it will cost to rehabilitate the historic War Eagle Bridge.

County Judge Bob Clinard said Monday he had agreed to work with Great River Engineering of Springfield. Mo., on the bridge project. Clinard told the members of the county's Transportation Committee he expects to have a signed contract within the next few days.

War Eagle bridge

County officials have been seeking options to repair, restore or rehabilitate the War Eagle Bridge for several months. The state Highway and Transportation Department has inspected the bridge, which was built in 1908, and found a number of serious deficiencies. The county has reduced the permitted load on the bridge to three tons while working on ways to keep the old bridge open to vehicle traffic.

Source: Staff report

"They're ready to go," Clinard told the committee.

Jason Sivils, an engineer with Great River, told the justices of the peace the company has done extensive work on older truss bridges in Missouri and the work has ranged from historic preservation, which concerned mainly keeping the historic appearance of the bridges, to projects meant to keep the bridges in use now and into the future.

"We're a firm built on county work, doing bridge rehabs and replacements," Sivils said.

Kurt Moore, justice of the peace for District 13, asked if War Eagle could be brought back to its "original standards." Sivils said the work needed to focus on current needs.

"Back then, they didn't have the same vehicles," he said. "Horse and buggies weren't very heavy. What we're worried about is today's loading."

Clinard told the committee the work by Great River will be done in three phases. The company will inspect the bridge and review past engineering reports and state Highway and Transportation Department inspection reports to determine the work needed. The company and county officials will meet with the Highway Department and any other entities that might need to be involved to determine an acceptable goal for the bridge project and develop preliminary cost estimates. Clinard said that phase is expected to take four months and will cost the county about $35,000. The second phase, which will take about 12 months, will include the design work on the project if the county chooses to proceed. Clinard said that would bring the county's cost on the project up to a total of $113,000 before making a decision on any construction work. Construction work on the bridge, if approved, will take another five months after the county gets bids on the project, Clinard said. The entire project could be completed by the summer of 2017, he said.

The committee members asked Sivils to make his presentation on the project to the next Committee of the Whole meeting set for 6 p.m. July 14.

The committee also agreed the county's Quorum Court should work to remove one potential roadblock to bridge replacement and repair work as they continue to work toward the preservation of the historic War Eagle Bridge.

The committee voted unanimously to recommend a county ordinance that would have otherwise required bridges being repaired, replaced or upgraded be brought up current standards, including being raised above the 25-year flood elevation and built to handle an 80,000-pound weight standard. The justices of the peace sent the revision of the county's existing ordinance requiring those standards on to the Committee of the Whole for further discussion.

The problem with the current ordinance was raised during a discussion of the replacement of the Stagecoach Road Bridge over Spavinaw Creek. Jeff Clark, the county's public services administrator and head of the Road Department, said meeting the standards required by the ordinance would raise the cost of replacing the bridge from about $446,000 to at least $650,000. Clark also said raising the roadway elevation for the bridge could make flooding worse in the area by blocking water that has in the past flowed around the ends of the bridge.

The panel voted to recommend a waiver to the ordinance requirements for the Spavinaw Creek Bridge and to have the county draft a replacement ordinance that would allow the county judge and the engineer on a bridge project to mutually agree to waive standards when they feel the situation warrants it.

NW News on 07/07/2015

Upcoming Events