BENTONVILLE -- Benton County officials will consider the fate of the historic War Eagle Bridge when the Transportation Committee takes up the issue Monday.
"We will be talking about what we might be able to do with the existing bridge," County Judge Bob Clinard said of the meeting set for 6 p.m. Monday in the Quorum Courtroom at the County Administration Building.
Bridge work
The contract to build the War Eagle Bridge was agreed to and signed on May 18, 1907, by representatives of the Illinois Steel Bridge Company of Jacksonville, Ill., and Benton County. The 182-foot steel bridge, with 40-foot approach, was to be built at a cost to the county of $4,790.
Source: Benton County
It is important that people understand options the county is considering, from repairing the bridge to restoring it or upgrading it, Clinard said.
"The terms are all a little different, but some people tend to intermingle them," he said. "It's critical we use the correct terms. How it's worded can determine whether or not it's legal."
There are state and federal standards for bridges that might have to be met, depending on the nature and extent of the work done, Clinard said. It's likely not going to be feasible to bring the bridge up to current standards for vehicle traffic, which would require it be able to handle loads of up to 80,000 pounds, Clinard said.
The county is trying to find detailed information on the original design load capacity of the bridge. Without that information, engineers have been reluctant to take on the design work for the historic bridge, Clinard said.
The bridge, built in 1908, faces an uncertain future. The state Highway and Transportation Department has identified several structural defects in inspection reports. The county is weighing the cost of rehabilitating and maintaining the existing bridge and the possibility of building a new bridge, either in a nearby location or at the site of the original bridge.
More than 100 area residents attended a Feb. 7 meeting at Hobbs State Park to express their support for keeping the historic bridge open.
Glenn Jones, chairman of the Benton County Historical Preservation Commission, said he has no real hope the bridge can be reopened for vehicle traffic. Jones thinks it can be relocated and a new bridge built in the same location on County Road 98 spanning War Eagle Creek in western Benton County.
"Everybody wants that bridge to be saved. It's not going to be saved," Jones said. "We've got a safety issue. It's not safe for vehicles to go across it. I do think we can take that bridge, dismantle it, and put in in a park area somewhere for people to be able to walk on it."
Jones tried to preserve two other historic bridges in the county -- Fisher Ford Bridge and Colonel Meyers Bridge -- but both were demolished to make new bridges possible.
Jones said relocating historic bridges is technically possible, but it requires time, and if War Eagle Bridge is to be moved work should begin as soon as possible.
Tom Allen, justice of the peace for District 4 and chairman of the Finance Committee, said the county has to weigh the historic significance of the bridge against safety and cost. In the case of the Colonel Meyers and Fisher Ford bridges, those historic structures were torn down and replaced after being closed to traffic for several years.
War Eagle Bridge was closed for repair work for about three months in 2010. The total cost of that renovation work was $823,738. That included engineering studies performed on the bridge. The county's portion was $143,803 and the remaining $679,935 was paid for using federal and state grant money.
"I know War Eagle is more historic than Colonel Meyers and probably more important to the people of the area," Allen said. "I know it's going to be very expensive no matter what we decide to do. I'm going to let the experts, the county judge and the architects and engineers, do their due diligence and see what they have to say. My thought is we shouldn't spend millions of dollars if we can't get a guarantee of what we're getting."
Steve Curry, justice of the peace for District 11 and chairman of the Transportation Committee, said he would like to see the committee reach some conclusion on what to do with the bridge at Monday's meeting. He not optimistic about saving the bridge.
"From what I understand, there's no engineering firm willing to tackle the job," Curry said. "We've either got to close it or give it back to the property owners. We need to do something with it. The liability issue for the county is very high."
Bringing the bridge up to current standards, with an 80,000-pound weight limit, is the main problem in keeping the bridge open to vehicles, Curry said.
"I can't see that bridge being brought up to anything close to that," he said.
The county has to put safety ahead of the historic nature of the bridge, Curry said.
"If we were to have two or three vehicles on it and it were to collapse we could be looking at some loss of life. I think that's more important than the historical value," he said. "Some people may disagree, but that's my opinion."
NW News on 05/03/2015