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Work to commence on multiple county bridges
While one iron bridge in northern Putnam County should reopen this summer after more than a year, three covered bridges miles downstream on Big Walnut Creek will receive some much-needed TLC in the coming weeks.
County Highway Supervisor Mike Ricketts informed the Putnam County Commissioners during their Monday meeting that work is set to commence on Bridge 45 on the Putnam-Hendricks County line on July 1.
Built in 1915, Bridge 45 carries County Road 900 East across Big Walnut a little more than a mile south of State Road 236.
The Jackson Township bridge has been closed since failing an inspection in March 2019.
At one point, the combined costs of repairing Bridge 45 and Bridge 71 in Floyd Township, closed the same day, was estimated to be $1.4 million.
However, the idea of repairing the other bridge has been put on the back burner, as it’s on a less-traveled road with alternate routes nearby.
The estimates for repairing Bridge 45 also dropped considerably, with Wrought Iron Bridgeworks out of Delphi ultimately submitting a bid of $82,000 to do the work.
The bridge is expected to be reopened by Aug. 1.
Meanwhile, the problems with the three covered bridges have not forced their closure, though they should help the county’s ability to continue preserving the history of the structures.
Work has already started on Houck Covered Bridge in northern Washington Township, which had much of its roof torn off in an April storm.
Rehabilitated in 2014, Houck was closed to vehicular traffic at that time, as a bypass bridge was built just upstream. It remains an attraction for visitors as a pedestrian bridge.
This is the second time a portion of the roof has been replaced in the six years since rehabilitation, leading Ricketts to request that the contractors double the number of fasteners holding the metal roof panels down.
After 4-5 weeks of construction, crews from Square & Level Construction will move on to fixing the roof on Dunbar Covered Bridge in Greencastle Township.
Following this work, the contractor will move on to Dick Huffman Covered Bridge in southern Washington Township.
The county’s longest covered bridge at 265 feet, Huffman will prove a challenge to Square & Level’s name, as the bridge visibly leans to one side at its southwestern portal.
All built in 1880, the three bridges in question are the county’s oldest.
The work on the three covered bridges will cost the county $50,530.