Benton County seeks bids on War Eagle Bridge work

Nick Hamilton of North Little Rock fishes July 6 below the War Eagle Bridge. The original six-month schedule to renovate the bridge has been pushed back about a month with delays in the approval process with state and federal agencies.
Nick Hamilton of North Little Rock fishes July 6 below the War Eagle Bridge. The original six-month schedule to renovate the bridge has been pushed back about a month with delays in the approval process with state and federal agencies.

BENTONVILLE -- Benton County officials have completed the required paperwork and expect to open bids on the War Eagle Bridge renovation project Oct. 25.

The original six-month work schedule has been pushed back about a month with delays in the approval process with state and federal agencies. County Judge Bob Clinard hopes construction can begin about December.

Historic bridge

The War Eagle Bridge, built by the Illinois Steel Bridge Co. in 1907, is significant as one of six Parker through trusses in Arkansas. The bridge sits next to a reconstructed grist mill, which is the fourth in a series of mills on the same site dating to 1832.

Source: Library of Congress

"Our goal was to have them start construction around Nov. 1 and be finished by about May 15," Clinard said. "That would be before the spring crafts fair they have. That doesn't look like it's going to happen."

The bids should include information on the number of work days the contractor specifies for the project, Clinard said. Work still could be completed before the spring fairs, but the window to complete the project is smaller, he said.

"Right now, that's a little tight," he said.

The county spent about $640,000 to repair the bridge in 2010, but state inspectors identified critical deficiencies in the structure in 2013. The county reduced the posted weight limit on the bridge to 3 tons while considering how to proceed. The county hired Great River Engineering of Springfield, Mo., to inspect the bridge and identify problems, then do design work and develop a scope of work for restoring the bridge. The firm has developed a three-tiered approach with each additional step including additional repair to extend the life of the bridge. The work has been estimated to cost about $700,000 for the first level, $870,000 for the second level and about $1 million for the full scope of work.

Area residents were unanimous in their support for repairing the bridge at a public forum held last year.

Once the bids are opened and reviewed by county officials they will be sent to the Quorum Court's Transportation Committee for discussion and then on through the Finance Committee and Quorum Court meetings in November, Clinard said.

The county earmarked $300,000 for work on the bridge in this year's budget, according to Brenda Guenther, comptroller, and has spent about $80,200 for the design and engineering so far.

Benton County also will receive $500,000 for the project under the Transportation Alternatives Program, a federal-aid program to construct sidewalks and trails for pedestrians, bicyclists and other nonmotorized forms of transportation. The program also creates systems that will provide safe routes for nonmotorists, including children, older adults and individuals with disabilities. The War Eagle Bridge project was one of 71 selected to receive $16 million from the program during 2015.

Pat Adams, justice of the peace for and chairman of the Transportation Committee, favors proceeding with the full program of work on the bridge but cautioned future problems could push him toward the idea of installing a bypass bridge and leaving the bridge for pedestrian use.

"Obviously, the better we fix it the longer it's going to last," Adams said. "I'm leaning toward going with the full amount that Great River has identified. That will give us the highest weight loading and the most years of use. But this should be our final fix. If something happens and the state condemns it, we should just shut it down, get some historical preservation group to take it over and use it for pedestrians only. You can only fix it so good."

Barry Moehring, justice of the peace, is optimistic about the plans to repair the bridge and its future.

"I'm committed to getting it done right," Moehring said. "Obviously, I'm waiting to see what the bids come back as, but based on the earlier estimates from Great River and the fact that we've got $220,000 already set aside for the project I think we need to do it. We have the $500,000 in grant money, plus the money we've set aside. I think we ought to fix it right."

Glenn Jones, chairman of the Benton County Historical Preservation Commission, is pleased the project is proceeding. The commitment to keep the bridge in use is even more important after the county replaced the Fisher Ford and Colonel Meyers Road bridges and demolished those structures, he said.

"That's fantastic news," Jones said. "We finally won one. We've lost two other historic bridges in the last couple of years. We can't afford to lose War Eagle."

NW News on 10/10/2016

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