War Eagle Bridge report due

County to learn engineers’ ideas on saving it, replacing it

The War Eagle bridge, seen here Feb. 21, spans the War Eagle River in east Benton County.
The War Eagle bridge, seen here Feb. 21, spans the War Eagle River in east Benton County.

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County officials say they expect to have the results of the first phase of the evaluation of War Eagle Bridge by Dec. 8.

County Judge Bob Clinard has a meeting set that day with Great River Engineering, the Springfield, Mo., firm the county hired to study the historic bridge and develop proposals for repairing or renovating the bridge.

Historic bridge

Built by the Illinois Steel Bridge Co. in 1907, the War Eagle Bridge is significant as one of six Parker through trusses in Arkansas. The bridge is next to a reconstructed grist mill, which is fourth in a series of mills on the same site dating back to 1832.

Source: Library of Congress

"It's my understanding at that meeting they will give us their report on what they think needs to be done with the bridge," Clinard said. "Then it will be up to the Quorum Court if they decide to appropriate the money to do the work. What I'm expecting is a report that will give us information on the design, repairs and alterations needed to the bridge to make it useful going forward."

The county advertised nationally for engineering firms with experience and expertise in similar bridge projects. Great River Engineering was selected from the three responses. The firm was asked to work with the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department to determine an acceptable load limit and develop preliminary plans for repairs and probable costs.

The county has considered what to do with the bridge, built in 1907, for several months. The county spent more than $640,000 on repair work in 2010, but inspection reports from the Highway Department in 2013 identified several critical deficiencies and a number of structural problems.

The county has reduced the bridge's posted weight limit to 3 tons while it considers rehabilitating or replacing it. More than 100 area residents who turned out for a public meeting in February overwhelmingly supported keeping the bridge in place and open for vehicles. Clinard has said that is his goal, but has cautioned the cost of keeping the bridge will be a consideration.

The county's Transportation Committee will meet soon after the Dec. 8 briefing to discuss the recommendations and take public input. Pat Adams, justice of the peace and chairman of the committee, said the report from Great River Engineering is just one more step in the process.

"It'll be the recommendation of what they think they can do," Adams said. "Hopefully they'll have some estimate of what they think it will cost. We won't get hard numbers until it's bid out, but they'll have a ballpark estimate."

Adams understands the historical significance of the bridge and its importance to the economy of the area, the county and the state.

"In Benton County I rate it way up on the priority list," Adams said. "But it's not just Benton County. It's a historical marker for the state of Arkansas. You don't see a pamphlet or a poster or a commercial for tourism in the state that doesn't have War Eagle in it. And we all know how important tourism is to our local economy."

The first phase of work, which will produce the initial report in December, cost the county $35,000. Design work in the second phase is expected to take about 12 months and will bring the county's costs up to $113,000. The project could be completed in the summer 2017 if the county decides to do the work recommended.

Kurt Moore, justice of the peace, said the cost will be a significant part of his decision-making process.

"If it's going to cost us more to repair the bridge than it would to build a new one I can't support that," Moore said. "We're not going to tear the bridge down. It will be turned into a foot bridge or a limited-use bridge and deeded over to whoever is willing to maintain it. I just can't see spending more to repair a 100-year-old bridge than we would in building a new bridge."

Glenn Jones, with the Benton County Historical Preservation Commission, said he's still concerned the bridge may not be saved. Jones worked to try and save two other historical bridges in the county -- Colonel Meyers Bridge and Fisher Ford Bridge -- but couldn't muster enough support in the time allowed by the state once it was decided those bridges were going to be replaced.

Jones said he's looking forward to seeing what the initial report says about the bridge. He's done his own inspection of the bridge and said he's convinced it won't hold up to heavy traffic.

"I was under it when a big cement truck went across," Jones said. "I thought it was not going to hold it. The question is how can you keep those big, heavy trucks from using it?"

"Everybody wants to save the bridge, but we also have to be concerned about safety," he said. "Of course the commission will be on top of it and we'll see if there's anything we can do. But until we get something from the engineers, we're at a standstill."

NW News on 11/27/2015

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