January 18, 2024 |
Photo – Bridge on County Road 3 – Courtesy Library of Congress
County officials debated the value of adding a seldom used river crossing to the state’s list of deficient bridges in need of replacement.
The county road and bridge supervisor asked the board to add two more bridges to Wyoming Department of Transportation’s Bridge Replacement Off System list. BROS, as it is known, is a federally funded program to replace unsafe county and town owned bridges across the Cowboy State. Placing a bridge on the BROS list will allow WYDOT to eventually replace it with a brand-new structure, with the state agency paying for more than 90% of the project total. Despite some members of the board resisting the inclusion of one of the two bridges, both structures were added to the state’s BROS list.
During Wednesday’s Board of Carbon County Commissioners meeting, Road and Bridge Superintendent Kandis Fritz asked Commission Chairwoman Sue Jones to add the bridges on County Roads 3 and 680 to WYDOT’s list of deficient bridges. Fritz said the two century-old structures are close to collapsing.
Commissioner John Johnson objected to including the County Road 3 bridge on the BROS list. County Road 3, also known as Elk Mountain Medicine Bow Road, is south of the town of Medicine Bow. The bridge in question crosses over the Medicine Bow River in a remote part of Carbon County. Commissioner Johnson said previous inspections showed that the bridge needs repairs, but is still structurally sound.
Commissioner Johnson said the bridge does not receive enough traffic to warrant a complete replacement. The commissioner, who is one of few people who live on County Road 3, said he doesn’t want it to seem like he’s supporting the bridge replacement for personal gain. Commissioner Johnson moved to only have the County Road 680 bridge added to the BROS list.
Road and Bridge Superintendent Fritz said the bridge on County Road 3 will not support the weight of her department’s road maintenance equipment. Fritz said she’s had equipment fall through a decaying bridge in the past and wants to avoid a similar thing happening on County Road 3.
Fritz said she can’t say if placing a new road surface on the 109-year-old structure will make the bridge last longer. The road and bridge superintendent said her goal is to replace all of Carbon County’s aging bridges.
Commissioner Johnson said the road approaching the County Road 3 bridge should be addressed before the bridge itself is replaced. The commissioner said for that reason he will vote against the structure’s inclusion on WYDOT’s BROS list.
Commissioner John Espy asked Fritz how much it would cost to place new decking on the bridge. Fritz said engineers refuse to help because of the poor condition of the bridge. The road and bridge superintendent said resurfacing the structure may bring about a whole new set of problems.
Fritz said the county can always remove the bridge from WYDOT’s Bridge Replacement Off System list in the future.
Chairwoman Jones said she was also against putting the County Road 3 bridge on WYDOT’s list. The commission chairwoman said the county has had a bad experience with the BROS program in the past.
Chairwoman Jones said if the county were to change its mind partway through the replacement process, it would be on the hook for all the money the state had spent up to that point. The commission chairwoman said that is why she will also be voting against the County Road 3 bridge’s inclusion on the BROS list.
Road and Bridge Superintendent Fritz said bridge replacement is far too costly for the county to undertake on its own. When bridges needed replacement in the past, Fritz said they installed less expensive culverts instead. The road and bridge superintendent said the culverts often fail and require a new bridge anyway.
Commissioner Johnson said the County Road 3 bridge urgently needs a new road surface. The commissioner said he was concerned that waiting for the state to replace the structure will result in further deterioration. Commissioner Johnson recommended simply putting new decking on the bridge. Johnson said a new bridge surface can last for up to 40 years.
Commissioner Espy said he supports adding the County Road 3 bridge to WYDOT’s BROS program. The commissioner said county road crews can maintain the bridge until WYDOT steps in to replace it.
The board voted on Commissioner Johnson’s motion to only add the County Road 680 bridge to the BROS program. The motion failed to pass, with Commissioners Moore, Irene, and Espy voting no.
Afterward, Commissioner Travis Moore motioned to have Chairwoman Jones sign the letter to WYDOT asking for both bridges to be included in the BROS program. Commissioner Moore’s motion passed with Chairwoman Jones and Commissioner Johnson voting in the negative.
