The public is invited on Wednesday (Oct. 13) to weigh in on three bridge replacement projects in south-central Jefferson County.
The bridges are on Armbruster Road over Haverstick Creek, Doss Hollow Road near Frazier Road over a tributary to Plattin Creek and Harness Road over a tributary to Hocum Hollow Creek.
The county’s Public Works Department will hold a combined public hearing on all three projects from 4-7 p.m. at Athena Elementary School, 3775 Athena School Road, in the De Soto area.
“The three bridges have some things in common,” said Public Works Director Jason Jonas. “They’re all structurally deficient, and they’re all over minor creeks or tributaries. None carry a lot of traffic.”
Jonas said as the three spans continue to age, the rating of the weight of vehicles allowed to pass on them will decline.
“At 10 tons, the school buses, EMS vehicles and firetrucks won’t go over them anymore,” he said. “That’s why we need to replace them before they get to that point.”
Work on all three is scheduled to occur in fall 2022.
The engineers’ estimated costs to replace the bridges are $510,000 for the Armbruster Road, $515,000 for the Doss Hollow Road and $566,000 for Harness Road, Jonas said.
“We’re planning to build them longer and a little bit wider,” he said.
Fewer than 400 vehicles travel the Armbruster and Doss Hollow spans each day, and fewer than 300 travel the Harness Road bridge daily, Jonas said.
“Most of the time at these meetings, we hear from the people who live nearby who are most affected,” he said. “Occasionally, someone shows up because their regular route may be disrupted.”
Information gained at the hearings will be used to help draw up plans for the projects, which then will be advertised for bids.
The cost to build each bridge will be paid for with 80 percent federal money, with the county’s share of a countywide road and bridge 1/2-cent sales tax covering the local match.