INDOT awards $1.56 M for county bridges

Saturday, June 25, 2011
Dunbar Covered Bridge

The Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) has chosen Putnam County to receive $1.56 million in federal money for three bridge projects.

The Dunbar Covered Bridge (Bridge 105) and Bridge 104 on Dunbar Road and the Houck Iron Bridge (Bridge 146) on County Road 25 East have all received funding to be replaced. All three bridges cross Big Walnut Creek.

Dunbar Covered Bridge will see the most significant change. The current bridge will remain in placed, to be preserved as an historic covered bridge.

The new bridge will be a quarter mile upstream, where the road currently approaches the creek before turning west. The new road will continue across the creek on the new bridge before veering back to the west along the north bank of Big Walnut. It will rejoin the current road northwest of the covered bridge.

The $354,480 received from INDOT will all go toward the new bridge. A separate project will be geared toward preserving the covered bridge. County Highway Co-Supervisor Jim Smith said the county will be applying for funds through the National Historic Covered Bridge Preservation Program for that project.

"We won't use any of this money on 105 to rehab the bridge. It will be for a brand new bridge," Smith said.

Bridge 104 is the most straightforward of the three projects, as the $541,480 from INDOT will go toward the replacement of the current bridge, which will be destroyed.

The Houck Iron Bridge project may be the most complicated of the three. The iron structure is considered historic, but the county is choosing to replace it. By federal law, it cannot be destroyed, but must be disassembled piece-by-piece and either stored or given to an organization to preserve.

If the county chose to store the pieces of the bridge, it would have to do so for 25 years. Instead, the disassembled bridge will be hauled to Delphi and donated to the Wabash and Erie Canal Association, which has expressed interest in the structure, but has no money to buy it.

The $673,920 will be used for the replacement of the current bridge. Smith said this project is ready to move forward and goes to bid July 11.

All three projects are targeted for 2014 construction.

In May, an INDOT review panel at Crawfordsville heard nine LPA presentations. The Crawfordsville District was allocated $4.8 million.

A project selections committee in Indianapolis, composed of seven members from across the state, confirmed the Crawfordsville District's recommendations.

Funding for the LPA Local Bridge Program is provided by the Federal Highway Administration and administered by INDOT. All award amounts are contingent upon funding availability through Congressional Appropriations. Federal dollars provide 80 percent of the approved project cost. Local communities must fund the remaining 20 percent.

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  • This is a sad sad day in Putnam County! Its such a shame they are going to take down not one but two beautiful pieces of history!!!

    -- Posted by whosurmomma on Sat, Jun 25, 2011, at 1:19 AM
  • Well what can a bunch of amazing, historic old bridges do for a county anyway?

    Signed, Parke County

    -- Posted by ladyinthewoods on Sat, Jun 25, 2011, at 6:32 AM
  • what a shame that Putnam County does not have any appreciation for history and the past. Once these structures are torn down, they are gone forever. Another example of the stupidity in this county

    -- Posted by albert on Sat, Jun 25, 2011, at 10:10 PM
  • Rest easy,folks! Bridge 146 is moving to a new home in Delphi,Bridge 105(Dunbar Covered bridge) will remain exactly where it is and converted to a bridge for foot traffic only,Bridge 104,which is the smaller concrete just north of Dunbar,will be replaced.....feel better?

    -- Posted by kubotafan on Mon, Jun 27, 2011, at 6:20 AM
  • Reading Is Fundamental, folks. If you read the article, you'll find that Dunbar bridge is not going anywhere.

    -- Posted by Clovertucky on Mon, Jun 27, 2011, at 2:29 PM
  • Ramp Creek Covered Bridge which once stood in Putnam Co. just south of Fincastle now stands at the north entrance to Brown Co. State Park. It is the oldest covered bridge in IN and the only two lane covered bridge. At least they are not selling the Dunbar bridge to an outsider.

    -- Posted by dumpsterdiva2 on Mon, Jun 27, 2011, at 10:45 PM
  • Correct me if I am wrong (and I know someone will!) but i think the Covered Bridge in Darlington (Montgomery County) is a two lane covered bridge.

    -- Posted by interested party on Wed, Jun 29, 2011, at 8:00 AM
  • I don't know,interested party......I do know that Bakers Camp Covered Bridge will be getting a facelift........yes!!!

    -- Posted by kubotafan on Wed, Jun 29, 2011, at 8:08 AM
  • The Darlington bridge is listed as a two span bridge whereas the one in Brown Co is a two lane. There is a difference in this construction. Just Google it and to see what it is. It would be difficult to have two way traffic in the Darlington bridge. Just a bit of bridge info.

    -- Posted by dumpsterdiva2 on Wed, Jun 29, 2011, at 9:20 AM
  • Hey Ken can you believe this? Come on people I grew up out Houck bridge way its just an old iron bridge. I don't believe in wasting my taxdollars on saving a rusted out bridge recycle it instead. I played, fished, and threw rocks off that bridge and still think we shouldn't waste my tax dollars on it. If you want to save it raise the money privately don't expect our broke government to do it. We can't keep pouring money into that kind of stuff, it's just not smart.

    -- Posted by T.C. FATHER OF 2 on Wed, Jun 29, 2011, at 11:00 AM
  • Well said,T.C. It will fill the void at it's new location just perfect...

    -- Posted by kubotafan on Wed, Jun 29, 2011, at 11:44 AM
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