County hears proposals for Stone Bridge rating

     County Engineer Derek Snead updated the Jones County Board of Supervisors regarding the next steps pertaining to Stone Bridge.

     During the July 13 board meeting, Snead said he received a proposal from Origin Design (formerly IIW) regarding the evaluation of Stone Bridge and its components.

     “Origin will have two vendors come out and look at the bridge,” Snead explained. “They’ll (Origin) will then collect the data and compile the reports. They’ll subcontract on the load rating.”

     This rating will let the county know what the weight capacity is for the bridge.

     Origin will also analyze the stone on the bridge via core samples.

     Snead said the work described above should cost no more than $35,000.

     For an additional $30,000 to $40,000, Origin will analyze and provide further analysis into various options for Stone Bridge.

     “They’ll stipulate what the structure could get to (could hold) if we fixed X, Y, or Z,” explained Snead.

     Once the county determines the course of action, Origin could start work within two weeks of signing the contract.

     “When they complete this work, what are our next steps?” asked Supervisor Ned Rohwedder.

     “It depends on the results,” answered Snead. “It’s tough to make a recommendation until we know what’s going on.”

     “What’s our goal?” Rohwedder further inquired.

     “We’ll know that after the (load rating) study,” offered Supervisor John Schlarmann.

     “It’s a possibility, based on the analysis, that it’ll have the ability to hold 5 tons,” suggested Snead. “You make the decision if it’s sufficient based on your goals for this structure.”

     The board will make a decision regarding Origin’s proposal at their next meeting, July 20.