One bridge closes as another reopens

Bridge 45

On the same day it announced that a recently-closed bridge was fixed and ready to reopen, the Putnam County Highway Department announced the closure of another bridge.

Bridge 45, which lies on the Putnam-Hendricks county line in Jackson Township, is now closed for repairs.

A beam on the bridge, which reopened following its last major repairs less than three years ago, needs to have one of its beams reinforced. However, County Engineer Jim Peck noted that when such critical findings are reported to the Indiana Department of Transportation, they must be repaired within 30 days or the structure closed.

Bridge 45 carries County Road 900 East over Big Walnut Creek, about a mile south of State Road 236.

Peck noted that in the trouble area, the floor deck has dropped two to three inches, causing a bump, but that the deck is sitting on the foundation, so there’s no concern of a bridge collapse.

On the other end of the spectrum, Bridge 252 on County Road 850 North in Franklin Township reopened on Monday.

The highway department first reported in mid-March that the abutments of the bridge had been undemined, but needed repairs have been made.