Bridge #156, the bridge over the Robbins Ditch on Range Rd. between 400 N and 500 N, may not be out of commission for as long as expected. Lee Nagai explained an alternative method of repairing the bridge, suggesting a deck maintenance project as opposed to the state’s recommended plan of total reconstruction.
“My proposal can be viewed as a maintenance-type project, where we simply replace the bridge deck. The proposal, the federally funded proposal, envisions replacing both abutments and doing construction in the flood plain which requires quite a bit of permitting and so forth,” said Nagai.
The county was originally going to have to pay a $230,000 match to the total budget of the bridge repair, which involved completely tearing down the bridge and installing a new bridge. Because of the location of the bridge, being in a flood plain, the cost of permits, inspections, and other procedures would also play a part in the extreme expense of the bridge.
“The state’s total project budget is somewhere around a million five, I think. And I think we can get the deck replacement done for maybe $150,000,” said Nagai. “The local match for the federally aided project would have been a little over $200,000, and I think that they can complete the maintenance-type deck replacement project for less than $200,000.”
Nagai requested to see the written scope of work from the county’s bridge company to get an idea of what work is to be done on the bridge. The commissioners wanted to know what would happen if they were to cancel their request for funds for repairing the bridge, and they were informed by Siddall that the cancellation would not have any repercussions, but they would have to begin the request for funds process over again if they decided to go back to the original plan.
Nagai will be collecting information from other engineers, and will give that information to Highway Superintendent Steve Siddall. The Commissioners passed a motion to proceed with Nagai’s preliminary sketch and move forward with the idea.
Nagai stated that if everything goes according to plan, the bridge could be back in working order within three to four months.
