County approves moving ahead with load test for Stone Bridge

Board of Supervisors
By: 
Kim Brooks
Express Editor

     Steps are being taken to move forward with a load test for Stone Bridge.

     The Jones County Supervisors voted on June 22 to solicit a proposal, including the scope of services, to rate the bridge from Origin Design (formerly IIW), out of Dubuque. The proposal would help identify the various steps that need to be taken to obtain a load rating. It would also outline the costs associated with such a project, and analyze the results.

     Origin performed similar work on an aging stone bridge in Elkader. County Engineer Derek Snead said they’re familiar with the stricture.

     Snead said the bridge needs to not only be rated at its current capacity, but also for the standard depending on the type of traffic the county will allow on the bridge.

     “There are two ways you could go here,” he offered.

     At a cost of about $25,000, Origin would investigate the current condition of Stone Bridge, the stone and the concrete deck.

     That information would be collected and sent to a second consultant who’s familiar with stone arches.

     For $35,000 to $45,000, Origin could offer a set of guidelines to the county in terms of the next steps that need to be taken to move forward with the structure.

     “Do we want to make the road open to vehicles or open to walkers and tourists?” proposed Snead. “What are you striving for?”

     Snead reported that the bridge has “advanced deterioration in the stone components, and vertical cracking at the bottom of the arches.

     “There are definite concerns with the structural integrity,” he said.

     Supervisor Jeff Swisher asked who made the decision to close the bridge several years ago.

     Snead explained that in 2016, the northwest corner fell off, leaving a void (gap) underneath the paved surface of the roadway above the arches.

     “Upon further inspection,” he added, “we found cracking in the stones along the arches. So we closed it.”

     Snead said before action was taken, they spoke with the DOT on the matter, and they recommended downgrading the bridge’s condition from poor to very poor.

     Supervisor John Schlarmann said a load test needs to happen so the county knows where things are at with the bridge before long-term decisions can be made. He said he wants to see the bridge reopen to those walking or riding ATVs.

     “I’m not for letting semis or tractors on it until it’s rehabbed,” he said. “But why would we spend $1 million on a new trail in Anamosa and not spend $40,000 on a nice bridge?”

     Supervisor Ned Rohwedder said a single-lane bridge on a paved roadway is not acceptable. In addition, Stone Bridge has required a lot of maintenance over the years.

     “Right now, I don’t think we need traffic across it,” he said. “And I think we need to limit pedestrians and ATVs.”

     “It’s a part of history,” Schlarmann said of keeping it in operation.

     Swisher said Stone Bridge was the number-one issue he heard the most about throughout his campaign for county supervisor.

     “It’s ours and we own it,” he said. “We need to treat it like the rest of our bridges.”

     Supervisor Joe Oswald reminded the board that the county put the Historic Preservation Commission in charge of Stone Bridge several years ago.

     “Well they work for us,” Swisher said of those appointed to the Commission. “If they’re not doing the right thing, we need to do it for them.”

Category:

Subscriber Login