6/14/2009

Bridges up for county agenda

By The Salina Journal

Saline County commissioners are to conduct their yearly review of a five-year plan for use of Kansas Department of Transportation grant funds for bridge replacement at their weekly formal meeting Tuesday.

A public hearing is scheduled in conjunction with the meeting, set for 11 a.m. Tuesday in Room 107 of the City-County Building, 300 W. Ash.

The purpose of the hearing is to let the public comment on the county bridge replacement projects listed in the plan. The bridges on the replacement list are:

n On Gypsum Valley Road, about five miles south of Gypsum

n On Water Well Road, about four miles east of Brookville

n On Schilling Road, less than a mile east of Kipp

n On Cunningham Road, south of Mentor

n On Link Road, south of Pleasant Hill Road over Mulberry Creek

n On Mentor Road, east of Cunningham Road over West Gypsum Creek.

County Engineer Neil Cable said that the bridge on Water Well Road is posted for carrying loads no greater than 5 tons. Federal law requires bridges to be closed if the weight limit is less than 3 tons.

"It's bottomed out, as far as its usefulness," he said.

Officials inspect the county's bridges at least every two years, Cable said. The final decision on bridges to be replaced is made by the county commission.

"Maybe there are ones that we've overlooked that people will want to bring to commissioners' attention at that public meeting," Cable said.

The entire county meeting agenda can be viewed at www.saline.org.

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