Marion County Highway Engineer Mike McCormick had good and bad news for the county board Tuesday night on bridges on the Route 161 Extension in far southeast Marion County.
The good news, the department has received a $1.3-million federal grant to replace the bridge over Poplar Creek east of Skillet Fork. McCormick says the steel is deteriorating on the bridge and they are trying to stay ahead of it. The new bridge is likely four years away.
Meanwhile, McCormick had some bad news on the Skillet Fork Bridge that currently has a weight limit and is down to one way traffic.
“IDOT has come back and says due to the age of steel and design criteria when that was built in 1941-42, that structure will never be returned to a Class 3 truck route. So we have to replace it.”
McCormick is currently seeking $6-million in federal grant money so the bridge can be replaced. He reports after some repair work the goal is to return the bridge to two-way traffic sometime early next year. McCormick is concerned about the consequences of those choosing not to follow the posted weight limit of 10 or 15 tons.
McCormick reported all the right of way has now been obtained for reconstruction of Heinzmann Road from the Village of Kell to the Route 161 Extension. Bids for the project will be opened by IDOT in November. McCormick says work won’t begin until spring.
Work continues on replacement of a bridge that has been closed on Range Road in rural Sandoval, but the four year process is just beginning.
