Benton County to close, replace Wildcat Creek Bridge

BENTONVILLE -- The crumbling condition of the 61-year-old Wildcat Creek Bridge on old Arkansas 68 left no choice but to close it until they can replace it, Benton County officials said.

County Judge Bob Clinard said the county already limited traffic to a single lane on the bridge because of its poor condition. A recent inspection prompted the decision to close it, he said.

"It's a matter of public safety," Clinard said. "There are holes in the decking we've tried to cover. We had it down to one lane last week, but the decking has fallen out. When we went under the bridge to inspect it, we found multiple structural failures. Some people think concrete is forever. It isn't. You can put your finger in it and it's crumbling. It's just an old bridge."

Clinard said the county has been trying to get a replacement bridge approved by the state for several years. The state Highway and Transportation Department told Clinard on Wednesday the project has been approved for state money and will be put out for bids in December.

Clinard said the county has estimated the cost the new bridge to be about $1.4 million. The cost won't be known until the project is put out for bids. Clinard also said the bridge replacement project has been approved by the state under a formula where federal money covers 80 percent of the cost, the state covers 18 percent and the county pays 2 percent.

The Highway Department estimated it will take nine months to complete work on a new bridge with construction beginning in January. Clinard said neither the county nor the state has a recent traffic count for the bridge.

Glenn Jones, with the Historical Preservation Commission said he's disappointed another old bridge in the county is being torn down and replaced rather than repaired or moved for another use. Jones worked to get the Colonel Meyers and Fisher Ford bridges moved, but was unable to get an effort organized and funded in the time allowed by the state.

Fisher Ford Bridge was closed in 2005 and Colonel Meyers Bridge in 2008. Both replacement bridges opened in December 2014.

"Good grief. It seems like every time I wake up we're losing another bridge," Jones said when he was told of plans for replacing it. "I want to get out there and take some pictures of it. We just keep losing more and more and more historic structures in this county. When you start losing historic homes in downtown Bentonville, what are you going to do?"

Jones said there doesn't seem to be the same level of appreciation for historic bridges and other structures in Northwest Arkansas as in some other areas.

"It's funny," he said. "In the Northeast, they revere these historic old bridges and do everything they can to save them. I tried to save Fisher Ford and the Osage Creek bridges, but I couldn't get it done. It's tough when you have to fight with the bureaucracy of these state agencies. The only reason we saved War Eagle is that we stayed on top of it."

Kurt Moore is Benton County justice of the peace for District 13, which includes the area served by the Wildcat Creek bridge. Moore has been pushing for the county to replace the bridge for several years. While he's not happy the bridge will be closed for a period of several months, he said it shouldn't be a serious problem for anyone, and, once it's opened, the new bridge will be a major improvement in terms of safety.

"It's more of an inconvenience having it closed than a real problem." Moore said. "There are dirt roads in the areas that go right up to the area of the bridge, and it's not that much of a detour to get around it."

Moore said he wants to see construction work begin so people will know the project is more than talk.

"As long as we're seeing progress on a new bridge, I think people will be happy with it," he said. "We're finally getting it done, and we're getting it done before the bridge fell into the creek or a car fell through the bridge and into the creek."

NW News on 09/12/2016