OTTUMWA —
Wapello County Supervisors had to shut down the Chillicothe Bridge due to a crack in an outside I-beam, Supervisor Jerry Parker said Monday.
Calhoun-Burns, the bridge contractor hired by the supervisors, told board members they have a way to fix that I-beam and the supervisors told them to proceed.
The beam has a slight gap, and they will pull the two parts back together and affix a plate to each side, according to Parker. Then the engineers will design a special plate and manufacture it.
Calhoun-Burns workers had planned to fix the bridge from above by using a boom truck and a bucket.
“But they can’t do that because the bridge is unsafe,” Parker said Monday.
Instead, the engineers will use barges to work on the bridge from below. They told the supervisors they had planned to use barges to work on the existing bridge, so they’ll “just bring the barges early.”
Someone wondered about welding the I-beam but Parker said that wasn’t acceptable because it could damage the steel, which is old and weathered.
The supervisors hope the contractor is successful in the repair plan for the cracked beam.
“We’re lucking out on the cost,” Parker added.
To repair an existing bridge built in the last 18 months is one thing, but to fix a 50-year-old bridge that’s heavily used is another.
Parker also said Wapello County plans to use the old Chillicothe bridge for about 1.5 years, and there will be “strict weight limits.”
“We’ll do an extensive review of every square inch that’s under the bridge,” he said. “This is one crack and we don’t know of any other problems.”
The supervisors will discuss the matter at 9 a.m. today during their regular meeting. They are expected to vote on whether to “authorize the engineer to proceed with repair to the Chillicothe bridge as proposed.”
The board members will meet in the third-floor boardroom/courtroom, Wapello County Courthouse, 101 W. Fourth St.
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