County closes Landis Road Bridge ‘indefinitely’

     Due to continued and worsening structural issues, the Landis Road Bridge over the Wapsipinicon River in Anamosa has been closed to any and all traffic.

   The Jones County Board of Supervisors took action to close the bridge, per County Engineer Derek Snead’s recommendation, during their Aug. 16 meeting.

   The vote passed 3-2, with Supervisors Jeff Swisher and John Schlarmann opposed; Supervisors Joe Oswald, Ned Rohwedder, and Jon Zirkelbach in favor.

   Snead said they had their annual inspection and the bridge is to the point of advanced deterioration.

   “It’s been posted at the 3-ton limit for decades now,” he said of the load limitations. “It’s past the point for typical traffic. If it fails, there will be no advanced warning at this point. It’ll be an instantaneous situation.”

   Late last week, the Engineer’s Office placed barricades at both ends to note its closing.

   The resolution Snead presented to the board for approval explains further the determination to close the bridge based on the inspection: “Outer eyebar along the west truss has cracking along the forge line. Multiple vertical hangers do not make direct contact with the floor beams. There is advanced section loss in connections on the lower chord at the floor beams. The bearings on the trusses all have heavy corrosion with section loss.”

   The resolution states that the closure is “indefinite.”

   Snead is working on a federal grant, BIP (Bridge Investment Program), to pursue funding to cover the cost of replacing the Landis Bridge. Due to rising construction and material costs, the most recent estimate for a new bridge is close to $6 million.

   Those Supervisors who voted to close the bridge stated their vote, reluctantly, was due to the safety of the public.

   Snead said the closest detour amount to 2.56 miles.

   Schlarmann asked Snead if a closed bridge impacts the BIP grant in any way.

   Snead said he has not submitted the second half of the application yet, which is due in mid-September.

   “It doesn’t hurt it,” he said of the closure. “But unfortunately, the amount of affected travelers changes. It’s not near the impact now.”

   Swisher asked when was the last time Secondary Roads maintained the bridge.

   “Not a lot of maintenance in recent time,” Snead said. “The deck needs to be replaced; it’s really bad, and we don’t work on steel trusses. It’s a cascading thing,” he said of the continuing maintenance and needs.

   Swisher said he’s more in favor of fixing the bridge rather than “letting it go.

   “I don’t want to see if closed for three to five years with the prospect of no funding,” continued Swisher. “We need to revisit it.”

   “If we close the bridge and don’t get the grant,” added Schlarmann, “I want to see us get cars back over that bridge again. I’d hate to see another dead-end road.”