Nearly 7% of rural bridges in Bartholomew County have deteriorated enough to require an annual inspection.
That’s in contrast to most bridges that are examined only once every two years, according to the head of an Indianapolis-based engineering company.
At the half-way point of a four-year inspection cycle, it’s currently estimated that 14 of the county’s 203 bridges need to be checked for erosion and damage annually, said Dave Richter, United Consulting Engineers president.
“We’ve seen conditions rapidly deteriorate in just one year, and it could happen on any bridge,” Richter told the Bartholomew County Commissioners on Oct. 21. “Especially when it is the old truss bridges that have some rusting and section loss.”
If the county could reduce the number of deteriorating bridges to 10 or fewer, Richter said the county could consider itself in good shape.
But that is easier said than done. In an earlier interview, Richter said Bartholomew has 60 more bridges to maintain than the average Indiana county, so it’s more expensive and difficult to keep up with all necessary repairs and upgrades.
The three county bridges considered in the worst shape, according to county highway engineer Danny Hollander, can be found:
Along County Road 945N over Little Haw Creek, two miles northeast of Hope. The bridge is currently limited to an 11-ton maximum.
Along County Road 400W over Denios Creek in eastern Ohio Township. The bridge has a 12-ton weight limit.
Also along County Road 400W over the East Fork White River, north of the Somerset Meadows subdivision. There is no weight limit.
But as long as motorists abide by posted weight limits, none of the local bridges are susceptible to a catastrophic collapse, Hollander said.
To put it in perspective, school buses full of children can safely cross all of the 203 bridges in the county inventory, because no bridge has an 8-ton weight limit or less.
Both the county and United Consulting are fully aware they would be held liable if something were to happen on one of the bridges, and “they aren’t going to take any risk,” Hollander said.
The last time a bridge came close to collapsing happened immediately after extensive flooding on April 7, 2018, Bartholomew County commissioner Carl Lienhoop said. On that day, a snow plow being used to remove flooding debris suddenly sank about a foot into an abutment along a 26-foot-long bridge on County Road 800S near Azalia.
An inspection showed the original bridge had been improperly installed in the 1960s, Lienhoop said. But Hollander suggested Monday the county continue to examine ways of slowing or stopping erosion along the banks of East Fork White River in southern Sand Creek Township.
Plans to repair or replace six of the 14 bridges are currently in the design phase, Hollander said.
They are located along County Road 425N over Duck Creek, south of Schaefer Lake near Hope; along County Road 850N over Duck Creek, a mile from the Decatur County line; and along County Road 945N over Little Haw Creek, also near Decatur County in the northeast corner of the county.
The remaining three bridges are all along County Road 400W. While two structures are close together over the East Fork White River southeast of Ogilville, the third crosses Denois Creek south of the Tipton Lakes subdivision.
Two bridges determined to be structurally deficient were replaced over the summer. They were along County Road 900E over Haw Creek, less than a mile south of the Shelby County line — and along County Road 300E, over the Flatrock River northwest of St. Louis Crossing, Hollander said.
What is frustrating for Hollander are two deteriorating truss bridges determined to be historically significant. Due to that state designation, those bridges cannot be replaced — only rehabilitated, the highway engineer said.
One historically-significant bridge is located along County Road 410N over Clifty Creek on the west side of Hartsville, while the other is along County Road 900N over Flatrock River, northwest of St. Louis Crossing.
There are 88 (43% of the entire 203 bridge inventory) that are in such good shape, they will likely qualify for a four-year inspection, instead of an examination every two-years, Richter said. That could save taxpayers money in the long run, he said.
In regard to the bridges inspected annually, some may be eligible for an 80-20 matching grant from the federal government, Richter said.
However, county commissioner Larry Kleinhenz has at time expressed reluctance to seek these types of federal grants except on large, expensive projects. One reason is because it can take several years to get the money, while the other is that federal grants often come with expensive strings attached, Kleinhenz said.
While addressing the commissioners, Richter commended county highway personnel for quickly making needed bridge repairs and keeping up with maintenance after United Consulting submits inspection reports.
Even though Bartholomew has more bridges than most Indiana counties, Richter commended Hollander and his crews for their willingness to replace deficient structures before they become dangerous.
“The average age of a bridge in Bartholomew County is 34 years,” Richter said. “For the state, the average is 43 years.”
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The structural integrity of a bridge is determined by a calculation know as an efficiency rating.
Generally speaking, 55% of an efficiency rating is based on a structural evaluation, while 30% is determined on how outdated the structure has become, and 15% on its importance to the public.
Any bridge with an efficiency rating below 50% requires an annual bridge inspection. Some of these deteriorating structures might qualify to receive a federal matching grant for replacement.
These are the efficiency ratings for some of Bartholomew County’s most deteriorating bridges.
County Road 425N over Duck Creek – Rating 40.7
County Road 410N over Clifty Creek – Rating 40.2
County Road 850N over Duck Creek – Rating 25
County Road 945N over Little Haw Creek – Rating 30.7
County Road 900E over Haw Creek – Rating 34.3
County Road 900N over Flatrock River – Rating 49.5
County Road 500S over Little Sand Creek – Rating 37.5
County Road 400S over Brush Creek – Rating 39.6
Tannehill Road over the Driftwood River – Rating 44.2
County Road 400W over branch of East Fork White Creek – Rating 45.1
County Road 400W over main East Fork White Creek – Rating 31.8
County Road 400W over Denios Creek – Rating 12.3
Source: United Consulting Engineers, Indianapolis
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