Woolsey Bridge to reopen to car, pickup traffic
Posted on Saturday, November 17, 2007
A bridge that was closed in September will reopen with a weight limit.
Washington County officials received correspondence from the Arkansas Highway and Transportation Department concerning the evaluation of Woolsey Bridge south of West Fork on County Road 35, County Judge Jerry Hunton announced Friday in a press release.
The Highway Department has recommended a load of 3 tons, meaning the county will reopen the bridge to car and pickup traffic only, Hunton said.
He said it will take seven to 10 days to reconfigure approaches and open the bridge to traffic.
"As county judge, I want to thank the public for their patience concerning this matter," Hunton stated in the release. "Public safety is always Number One."
Although the bridge is being reopened for light traffic, he said, there will come a time when the structure will no longer be suitable or strong enough to bear even light loads such as cars and pickup trucks.
"All this did was buy us a little time," he said.
Hunton said steel pylons will be placed on the east side of the bridge to keep trailers from being pulled over the bridge.
"We're going to set it up so they can't pull a trailer," he said, adding that he is primarily concerned with flatbed trailers that might be pulled.
He also said he will try to get a sign put up to state that cars and pickup trucks are the only vehicles allowed over the bridge.
Motorists who violate the weight limit are subject to a $ 500 fine.
The bridge was closed by the county in September after the Highway Department found critical deficiencies in the steel framework during a routine inspection Sept. 10.
The department's appraisal and rating section evaluated the load capacity of the structure.
There will be another inspection next September, said Joe Shipman, District 4 engineer for the Highway Department.
The Washington County Quorum Court on Nov. 8 passed an ordinance that limits the types of traffic that can cross over county bridges. The ordinance was passed unanimously with an emergency clause, which made it effective immediately.
FEEDBACK:
Something to say about this topic? Submit a Letter to the Editor online
