BENTONVILLE -- Benton County officials say War Eagle Bridge should be repaired and ready for normal traffic by the end of September.
County Judge Barry Moehring said the plan is for Crossland Heavy Construction to do the full plan of work on the bridge, but the Quorum Court will determine how much the county will spend.
Historic bridge
The War Eagle Bridge, built by the Illinois Steel Bridge Co. in 1907, is significant as one of six Parker through trusses in Arkansas. The bridge sits next to a reconstructed grist mill, which is the fourth in a series of mills on the same site dating to 1832.
Source: Library of Congress
Crossland and Steve Beam Construction submitted bids and Crossland was the low bidder.
"It's up to the Quorum Court to appropriate the funding," Moehring said. "But that's what they've indicated they will do and that's what the intent is."
Pat Adams, justice of the peace and chairman of the Transportation Committee, is ready for the work to begin.
"I'm excited to get it going," he said.
Adams wasn't pleased the project drew only two bidders, but he said the requirement companies have experience in repairing and restoring old bridges probably limited the response.
"I'm good with the fact Crossland is going to do it," Adams said. "They're a reputable company and they've built a lot of bridges. That's been my concern all along."
Glenn Jones, chairman of the Historical Preservation Commission, hopes the county can get the bridge repaired and opened to normal traffic. Jones said he was glad the county delayed the work to obtain bids from companies showing experience working on historic bridges.
"There's a difference between restoring a building and rebuilding a 108- or 109-year-old bridge," Jones said. "If we're going to spend this money, let's do it right. Once you get that bridge fixed up, it's going to be a positive for the area and for the county. It will draw people and it will attract commerce. It's going to pay for itself in 20 to 25 years."
The county has restricted traffic on the bridge for the past several years by lowering the weight limit to three tons. The county spent about $640,000 on repairs to the 109-year-old bridge in 2010, but state inspectors found critical deficiencies in an annual inspection in 2013.
The county hired Great River Engineering of Springfield, Mo., to inspect the bridge and identify problems, then do design work and develop a scope of work for restoring the bridge. The firm developed a three-tiered approach with each additional step including additional repair to extend the life of the bridge.
Crossland's bid for the total project came in at $1,379,458. The work is divided into three packages, a base bid and two alternates, with each additional program of work meant to add to the safety and useful life of the bridge. Crossland's bid on the base package was $1,140,358. On the base bid plus alternate 1, the company submitted a bid of $$1,257,158 and the total bid of $1,379,458 on the base and alternate 1 and 2 package. In the bid documents, the company states all of the work should be completed by Sept. 30.
Brenda Guenther, comptroller, says the county has $1.4 million in the budget for the work. The county has also been awarded a $500,000 federal grant to reimburse some of the cost once the work is done under the Transportation Alternatives Program, a federal-aid program to construct sidewalks and trails for pedestrians, bicyclists and other non-motorized forms of transportation. The program also creates systems that will provide safe routes for non-motorists, including children, older adults and individuals with disabilities. The War Eagle Bridge project was one of 71 selected to receive $16 million from the program during 2015.
NW News on 03/18/2017