Two Bartholomew County bridges that will be replaced this year were likely bad fits for their locations — even when they were brand new.
One is Bridge 66, installed in 1968 near the Shelby County line along County Road 900E, a mile east of State Road 9.
“It looks like that bridge had been moved there from a previous location,” Bartholomew County Highway engineer Danny Hollander said. “The beams never did fit the span.”
A number of inadequacies were discovered a year ago this month after a wing wall collapsed near the edge of the bridge, wiping out about five feet of the county road. Since then, the bridge has only been able to carry one lane of traffic.
On Monday, the Bartholomew County Commissioners agreed to pay Duncan Robertson Inc. a total of $693,017 to replace the entire structure. The Franklin-based firm was the least expensive among three contractors bidding for the project.
The second ill-fitted crossing is located on County Road 300E over the Sydney Branch of the Flatrock River, north of St. Louis Crossing.
Known as Bridge 301, Hollander said his department has had many issues with the Flat Rock Township structure because the slopes keep washing out.
“We’ve determined the bridge is just too short,” Hollander told the commissioners.
The current structure also has extensive erosion on both ends of the bridge, Hollander said. In addition, the position of the bridge over a legal drain has also been a concern, he said.
Although not frequent, these types of discoveries are not unusual. In recent years, county highway workers have reported encountering aging infrastructure that was improperly installed or ill-fitted a number of times.
On Monday, the commissioners sent out notice to contractors that they would be accepting bids on May 6 to replace Bridge 301.
In a separate issue, it appears the county is finally prepared to address what has been called a “sidewalk to nowhere” on Columbus’ far west side.
The Carr Hill Road Trail Project currently ends abruptly at the Interstate 65 overpass off Jonathan Moore Pike.
Although the county has planned to eventually install about 1,000 feet of sidewalks to complete the project, officials have been reluctant to move ahead.
There was hope among county leaders that the Indiana Department of Transportation would install the sidewalk as part of its I-65 overpass renovations, commissioner Larry Kleinhenz said.
But on Monday, Kleinhenz said there’s no doubt the county will have to install the sidewalk themselves.
While the commissioners will receive bids for the installation on April 29, construction may be put on hold until next year, Kleinhenz said.
