On Morrison Chapel Road in Cleveland
By Mark H. Stowers
The Bolivar Bullet
The bridge has been out since February on Morrison Chapel Road, but by next spring there should be a safe, new structure in its place. The Re-Bridge #107 project will go out to bid in January. Assistant County Engineer Josh McPherson explained the details.
“We closed the bridge earlier this year due to deteriorated piling and damaged bridge substructure,” said McPherson. “Due to the damage, we are doing a complete rebuild. We’re replacing it with a new pre-cast, single span 40-foot bridge. Construction estimates are $250,000. This is using in-house county funds. We’re accepting bids the first of January to get the project moving forward.”
The concrete bridge is part of the constant work done by the bridge replacement program in Bolivar County.
“The inspection cycle starts in the fall and finish up about May. We’re updating our bridge list and prioritizing and planning different options. It’s a year by year deal. We maintain a four-year bridge plan and its pretty fluid. With annual inspections, bridges move up and down that list. We use various techniques to get them repaired or replaced.”
McPherson noted there are 220 bridges in Bolivar County.
“We’re constantly closing, repairing, opening at all times. We currently have 15 bridge projects going on in some capacity,” he said.