First Posted: 3/5/2015
LIMA — Two Allen County bridges will be under closer scrutiny this year, one of which will soon be replaced.
Allen County Commissioners approved two contracts with Mansfield-based engineering firm Richland Engineering Inc. regarding the Metcalf Street bridge near the refinery and the Central Avenue bridge just south of Elm Street. The Metcalf Street project will involve an in-depth inspection of the bridge, including the overhanging steel truss, at a cost of $24,940.
“We’re required by law to inspect bridges every year, but that one needs special attention, so every two years, we hire Richland Engineering to come in and do a full inspection on it,” Allen County bridge engineer Brion Rhodes said. “They have been out climbing the structure to inspect it.”
At 308 feet, the Metcalf Street bridge is the largest in the county, warranting the special attention. Engineering crews were already inspecting the steel truss Wednesday and Thursday, with traffic remaining open during that time.
“They’ll come back later in the spring, and we’ll actually close it down so they can do ultrasonic testing on the pins,” Rhodes said.
The Central Avenue bridge project will cost $85,986 and will involve drawing up plans for a replacement of the bridge itself, with the exception of the foundation.
“They’ll come in and demolish all of it, and all you will see is the banks and the two piers in the center,” Rhodes said. “With the superstructure, new beams will be pulled off with a new one put on, and they’ll pour new concrete sidewalks and a new concrete deck on it.”
Drawing up the plans will take approximately nine months, with the actual demolition of the bridge slated for either 2016 or 2017.
“It’s a 2017 project, but if we get the plans done early and things progess in a timely fashion, there may be room in the federal budget to slide it up into 2016,” Rhodes said.
