The Racetrack Road Bridge south of Route 161 on the east side of Centralia will be closed for four years.
Marion County Highway Engineer Alex Kreke says the wooden pilings on the bridge are failing, and repairs would cost about the same as a new bridge. He notes that, unfortunately, the process of funding, engineering, and building a new bridge takes four years.
Meanwhile, the road and bridge committee felt total closure of the Lost Creek Bridge on Old US 51 about two miles north of Sandoval for eight months was the best option rather than staged construction that would take 15 months.
The committee expressed concern about a federal proposal to increase the maximum weight of trucks from 80,000 to 91,000 pounds. While Road Committee Chair Timothy McCance says the heavier trucks may be okay on state and interstate highways, county roads will not be able to take the higher weights.
