July 23, 2014 at 2:10 p.m.
Historic bridge may be relocated in 2006 (10/18/05)
Jay County Commissioners
By By MIKE SNYDER-
A project to move a historic bridge from western Jay County into a developing Portland park may finally be moving forward.
It has been about two years since Jay County Commissioners gave their approval to a plan to relocate a 100-foot steel truss bridge from Knox Township into the city of Portland to serve as a connection between Weiler-Wilson Park and the developing Hudson Family Park.
The commissioners were told Monday by John Speidel of Butler Fairman Seufert, the engineering firm coordinating the project, that state historic officials have given the go-ahead for the project.
Jay County Engineer Dan Watson said this morning he believes the bridge should be in its new home over the Salamonie River, east of Wayne Street near Portland Pool, by late summer of 2006.
“I hope to bid it before spring so we can start construction in the spring. I assume whoever gets the contract will take the old bridge down and set the new abutments,” Watson said this morning. “It shouldn’t take too long ... I’d think it would go through pretty smoothly now.”
The bridge, which was built in the early 1900s, will be taken down in pieces. Those pieces will be sandblasted and repainted, then reassembled on new abutments to serve as a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Salamonie as a path between Weiler-Wilson and Hudson parks. The bridge currently carries Division Road over Brooks Creek about a half mile south of Ind. 26 and a half mile east of Ind. 1. It will be replaced with a concrete bridge.
The county was awarded a $339,000 transportation enhancement grant in January 2004 from the Indiana Department of Transportation for the bridge relocation project.[[In-content Ad]]
It has been about two years since Jay County Commissioners gave their approval to a plan to relocate a 100-foot steel truss bridge from Knox Township into the city of Portland to serve as a connection between Weiler-Wilson Park and the developing Hudson Family Park.
The commissioners were told Monday by John Speidel of Butler Fairman Seufert, the engineering firm coordinating the project, that state historic officials have given the go-ahead for the project.
Jay County Engineer Dan Watson said this morning he believes the bridge should be in its new home over the Salamonie River, east of Wayne Street near Portland Pool, by late summer of 2006.
“I hope to bid it before spring so we can start construction in the spring. I assume whoever gets the contract will take the old bridge down and set the new abutments,” Watson said this morning. “It shouldn’t take too long ... I’d think it would go through pretty smoothly now.”
The bridge, which was built in the early 1900s, will be taken down in pieces. Those pieces will be sandblasted and repainted, then reassembled on new abutments to serve as a pedestrian and bicycle bridge over the Salamonie as a path between Weiler-Wilson and Hudson parks. The bridge currently carries Division Road over Brooks Creek about a half mile south of Ind. 26 and a half mile east of Ind. 1. It will be replaced with a concrete bridge.
The county was awarded a $339,000 transportation enhancement grant in January 2004 from the Indiana Department of Transportation for the bridge relocation project.[[In-content Ad]]
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