Engineer backs out of Stone Bridge work

     During the Oct. 31 Jones County Supervisors meeting, Supervisor Joe Oswald reported on the recent work at Stone Bridge near Monticello.

     Rogers Concrete was out early last week to replace the concrete where it washed out on the bridge. However, Oswald said the rest of the project is on hold due to the engineer resigning from the project.

     VJ Engineering was hired to oversee the project into the winter, consisting of pouring curbing along the sides of the bridge to keep water from running off, ultimately known to cause the stone façade to fall off as well.

     “No work will be done until this spring,” said Oswald.

     Supervisor Ned Rohwedder read an e-mail he received from County Engineer Derek Snead, something Snead forwarded to all of the supervisors from VJ Engineering. The e-mail explained that due to severe deterioration of Stone Bridge, VJ was concerned about the weight of the slab supporting the curbing, as well as the structure itself supporting more concrete.

     “They probably didn’t know what type of project they were getting into when they initially started,” offered Snead.

     Assistant Engineer Todd Postel said Stone Bridge is still owned by Jones County, and the county is liable for anything that happens to or on the bridge.

     “We need to be careful what we have done to it,” he warned.