Repairs complete, Bridge 45 reopened to traffic

Friday, January 22, 2021

BARNARD — Closed for nearly two years, a bridge on the Hendricks County line in Jackson Township was reopened to traffic Friday.

Bridge 45, which carries traffic on County Road 900 East over Big Walnut Creek, was repaired by Wrought Iron Bridgeworks of Delphi, which submitted a bid of $82,000 on repairs to the 106-year-old structure.

That price tag brought a sigh of relief from county officials, who were originally told the combined cost of repairing Bridge 45 and Bridge 71 in Floyd Township, closed at the same time in March 2019, could be $1.5 million or more.

Closed since March 2019, Bridge 45 on the Hendricks County line in Jackson Township was reopened to traffic on Friday.
Banner Graphic/JARED JERNAGAN

Bridge 71 remains closed, due to lower traffic on the road and a more advanced state of disrepair. Prior to its closure, Bridge 71 had only a three-ton rating.

Bridge 45 on the other hand, had a rating of 12 tons prior to closure, which remains in place after reopening.

Built in 1915, Bridge 45 sees a significant amount of traffic when opened, as 900 East is a north-south route between State Road 236, about a mile north of the bridge, and U.S. 36, nearly five miles to the south.

Although the road and bridge sit on the Hendricks County line, their maintenance is the responsibility of Putnam County, as counties are responsible for roads on their eastern and southern borders.

Comments
View 3 comments
Note: The nature of the Internet makes it impractical for our staff to review every comment. Please note that those who post comments on this website may do so using a screen name, which may or may not reflect a website user's actual name. Readers should be careful not to assign comments to real people who may have names similar to screen names. Refrain from obscenity in your comments, and to keep discussions civil, don't say anything in a way your grandmother would be ashamed to read.
  • Great! My shortcut to Perillo's is back open!

    -- Posted by infiremanemt on Sat, Jan 23, 2021, at 9:22 AM
  • Yea! For this span on this road it is the best decision!

    -- Posted by ladyinthewoods on Sat, Jan 23, 2021, at 9:52 AM
  • This bridge reminds me of the one just North of the old Walker Motel on U.S. 40.

    -- Posted by donantonio on Sat, Jan 23, 2021, at 8:20 PM
Respond to this story

Posting a comment requires free registration: