Article Photos

Advertisement

TOWNER - The Towner area is famous for overland flooding every spring.

Sometimes there is more water than necessary and the increased flows put extra stress on area bridges. In some cases the water can affect the expected life span of a bridge. That has been the case on a Highway 14 bridge that spans the Souris River in McHenry County just west of Towner.

During an inspection of the bridge's abutments a few years ago some cracks were discovered that required major repairs. Although the carrying capacity of the bridge was never believed to have been compromised, engineers described the repairs as only a temporary fix.

"It was not in danger of falling in. We inspect them every two years," said Don Mohagen, Minot district project engineer for the North Dakota Department of Transportation. "That bridge was built in 1952 or so, so it has served its lifetime. It still looks good from the top but there are deteriorations below due to ice and water."

According to Mohagen, the best remedy for the Highway 14 bridge was replacement. It was determined that it would be too costly to continue to repair and maintain the old bridge. Of particular concern was that the safety of the relatively narrow bridge could be compromised by overloads. Overloads occur when trucks move materials, such as construction equipment or specialized building materials, that might exceed the normal weight-bearing capacity of the bridge.

"The existing bridge can handle a regular load but maybe not overloads as it continues to deteriorate," said Mohagen. "We considered the weight options and decided that replacement was the most cost effective thing to do."

The new bridge is being built according to upgraded construction standards and will have the ability to safely handle trucks with special overload permits. The schedule for completing the bridge was interrupted by spring flooding. Back on schedule now, contractors are hoping to pour the new bridge deck this month. Once completed, the new bridge will be noticeably wider than the old one and more driver friendly.

"They also have to realign the roadway," said Mohagen. "The new bridge sits right beside the existing one. I don't know exactly when it will be open to traffic, maybe August."

A second bridge on Highway 14, approximately half a mile north of where construction is currently taking place, is also scheduled to be replaced this year. It is a much small structure that is not very visible. However, it handles the same amount of traffic as the larger bridge to the south.

"It's really a wooden timber bridge that doesn't look like a bridge when you are driving over it," explained Mohagen. "I think it has more than exceeded its 50 year life. We'll replace it with a pre-cast concrete box culvert. We'll do that in August probably, and it won't take too long."