BENTONVILLE -- Benton County officials said Monday work on War Eagle Bridge should be ready to go out for bids in August.
County Judge Bob Clinard and Jay Frasier, public services administrator who oversees the Road Department, told the Transportation Committee there had been some personnel changes in the firm hired to design work on the bridge, but they had been assured it will not delay the project.
Historic bridge
Built by the Illinois Steel Bridge Company 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 to 1832.
Source: Library of Congress
"We just found out about this today," Clinard said. "We do have a contract and I have no reason to believe they won't honor that contract. My plan is this is going to go to bid in August."
Benton County spent more than $640,000 repairing War Eagle Bridge in 2010 but state inspectors found critical deficiencies in 2013. The county has reduced the bridge's posted weight limit to 3 tons while options were being considered. The county set aside $300,000 in the 2016 budget for work on the bridge.
Great River Engineering of Springfield, Mo., is being paid $90,000 for its design work on the bridge. In a preliminary report, the company said they'll likely have three levels of work the county can choose to pursue, beginning at about $700,000 and increasing to about $870,000 and then to $1 million for the full scope of work. Each additional step the county chooses to have done will extend the anticipated life of the bridge.
Clinard said the timetable the county has for the project calls for bids to be put out in August and a contractor chosen in September. He said whoever is chosen to to the repair work will have about five week to prepare and he wants work to begin early in November. He said that start date allows the fall War Eagle Crafts Fair to be done and gives the county time before the spring fair to get as much work done as possible.
"The Nov. 1 start date is the first date we can start work and not disrupt their activity out there," Clinard said.
The committee also heard a report from Frasier on the 2016 road plan and a listing of projects on the 2017 plan.
Frasier said two months of rain has hampered road work this year but he believes the Road Department will complete most of the work planned. For 2016, the county identified about 53 miles of paving projects with a cost of about $2.7 million. Any projects not completed, he said, will be incorporated into the 2017 plan. Frasier said the county will focus on maintenance work in 2017, with about 55 miles of paving work planned with a cost of about $2.9 million.
Pat Adams, committee chairman, asked the justices of the peace to begin work on ordinances relating to the Road Department, saying they are outdated and inaccurate. The committee will work on small sections of ordinances and send revisions on to the Quorum Court for consideration.
"Some haven't been updated since the 1980s," Adams said.
NW News on 07/12/2016