Designation changed on one county bridge, load limit reduced on another

The load posting on a bridge three miles south of McCook will change from 16, 26 and 32 tons to 16, 28 and 35 tons, a change required by the Nebraska Department of Roads, Bridge Division.

Connie Jo Discoe/McCook Gazette

McCOOK, Neb. — Red Willow County has a bridge that’s on the state’s “fracture critical” list, but it’s not because of the condition of the bridge.

“The bridge is in good condition,” says county commissioner Steve Downer. “It carries a lot of traffic.”

The 34-foot, two-lane steel and concrete bridge was built in 1972 over the Silver Creek on County Road 719 southeast of Bartley. It’s on the state’s watch list because of its design, because of the way it was built, Gary Dicenta, the county’s road superintendent, told commissioners at their weekly meeting Monday morning. Theoretically, if one member were to fail, the whole bridge would fail, he said, adding, however, that the bridge is in good condition.

Despite the bridge having been built with salvaged materials, there have been no visible or recorded repairs or rehabilitation since it was built. It is routinely inspected every 24 months.

The bridge is load-posted at 16 tons, 25 tons and 33 tons for Nebraska legal trucks.

Schemmer Architects, Engineers and Planners of Omaha, which inspected the bridge for the state’s Department of Roads on Oct. 3, 2017, rates the deck “good,” and the superstructure and substructure “satisfactory.” Inspectors noted no maintenance issues, no repair requests and no need for special inspections.

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The county will change the load postings on a county bridge three miles south of McCook, over Dry Creek at the bottom of M Hill and near Garrett and Laura Nokes’ home.

Dicenta told commissioners that the state is implementing a new process of rating bridges, to accommodate for longer trucks with extra axles.

With no alterations to the 37-year-old steel girder bridge, the load ratings will change from 16 tons, 26 tons and 32 tons for Nebraska legal trucks, to 16 tons, 28 tons and 35 tons.

The bridge deck is rated fair and the superstructure and substructure satisfactory. Like the Silver Creek bridge, this Dry Creek bridge was also built with salvaged steel.

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Dicenta inspects the county’s bridges, once every two years. Commissioners approved a two-year agreement, for 2018 and 2019, for $95 and 50 cents per mile for each bridge. This is no increase from 2015/2016/2017.