The option exists to lower the count, but the Pulaski County Commissioners may need to conduct a second inspection instead.
During last night’s Commissioners meeting, officials with United Consulting presented results of a bridge inspection conducted earlier this year. Those results indicate that 10 bridges in the county have a relatively low sufficiency rating.
Due to the lower rating, those 10 bridges are required for additional inspections by the state. United Consultants presented the Pulaski County Commissioners with a supplemental contract for the extra work. It will cost an extra $12-thousand over four years.
Jeff Larrison with United Consultants says repairing or replacing the bridges could avoid inspection costs.
“If you can knock one out this year or even next year, it comes off the list and you guys wont be billed for any additional inspections,” says Larrison.
The second bridge inspections will take place later this year. Pulaski County signed the initial contract in 2013 for the inspections.
According to the consultants, some bridges are considered bad enough that federal funds should probably be sought when they become available.
Larrison says the state will eventually put the county in a situation to make the repairs.
“What they’ll do is: because of the way they get scored when we inspect them, as it – they call it the sufficiency rating – as that rating drops lower and lower, they’ll force you to start putting load notices on those bridges,” says Larrison. “So it’ll get to a point where you can’t run buses or farm equipment over them.”
Costs for the inspections come with the added benefit of an 80/20 split with INDOT.
