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No bids forces postponement of bridge replacement

By
Mavis Fodness

For the first time in decades, a bridge project will be postponed in Rock County because no bids to complete the work were received.
“Everyone is booked through October,” County Engineer Mark Sehr told commissioners May 21.
The notice to construct a new bridge on County Road 52 over the Burlington Northern Santa Fe railroad in Martin Township was completed in late April with the bid opening completed for May 20.
But there were no bids to be opened.
This is the first time since Sehr became county engineer in 1996 that the county received no bids to complete a large project.
Estimates to replace the bridge and grade the approaches were $1.15 million.
“It’s unfortunate,” Sehr added. “I want to get this project done. ... I feel for the landowners.”
The bridge, built in 1971, has been closed to traffic since July 2017, when fire destroyed the woodpile structure. Fifty vehicles had crossed the bridge on a daily basis.
The state fire marshal determined the cause of the fire to be manmade.
Elliot John Krueger of Sioux Falls, South Dakota, was charged in October 2017 with setting a negligent fire.
The case was recently resolved by Rock County Attorney Jeff Haubrich with Krueger agreeing to a continuance of dismissal and $1,000 in restitution.
The majority of the bridge replacement expense ($800,000) is covered by state funds.
Sehr said the money has been allocated to Rock County and will still be available next year.
The county will pay for the bridge grade and supervision costs for the rail line.
The new bridge design will be two lanes with a 10-ton vehicle carrying capacity. The bridge is also larger than the previous span at 29 feet wide and a length of 106 feet.
The previous bridge was wood pilings and had weight restrictions against multi-axle vehicle use.
The rebid process is planned for this fall with construction completion in 2020.
The project was estimated to take 10 to 12 weeks to complete.
 
Emergency repairs on County 1 bridge stalled
Sehr indicated an environmental study would need to be done before $52,500 in emergency repairs can be completed on the damaged County Road 1 bridge over the Kanaranzi Creek in southeastern Rock County.
Ice flow damaged several of the bridge’s wooden piles, closing the bridge to one lane of traffic on April 4.
Engineers recommended installing new transfer girders and steel piles to bring the bridge back to its original two-lane use.
Sehr cautiously reported because the County Road 1 bridgework has a shorter completion time (estimated at one week), a contractor might be able to add the project to an already busy construction schedule for completion this summer.
The bridge continues to be monitored for safety by highway officials on a twice-a-week basis.

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