Embargo identifies 85 restricted bridges in Jasper County

Jasper County has 40 less, weight-restricted bridges than it did five years ago, according to county engineering staff.

During the April 16 morning board of supervisors meeting, Jasper County Engineer Russ Stutt informed the three board members of his staff’s findings while delivering a report for a bridge embargo resolution.

“I wanted to point out that relative to April of 2014 we had 125 restricted bridges,” Stutt said. “And as of now we are down to 85 restricted.”

Supervisors voiced their approval. Denny Carpenter, chair of the board of supervisors, said, "Oh! That's pretty good. Pretty good. Real good."

The board voted 3-0 to approve the updated bridge embargo of weight restrictions suggested by the county’s engineering firm Calhoun-Burns & Associates Inc. Stutt said they “just updated all of them at the same time.”

He added, “We’ll have more updates as they inspect this year and as we replace and repair some bridges, too.”

Although Stutt didn’t know the exact numbers, he said he’s positive the level of weight restrictions are higher.

“We don’t have near as many 3-, 5- and 10-ton restrictions as we have in the past,” Stutt said. “We’re getting more in the 15- to 20-(ton range).”

Stutt said a total of 338 bridges were inspected in Jasper County

This month, the county will begin work replacing two bridges along F48, or Old Highway 6. Construction work began this past Monday for the bridge over Cherry Creek nearest to Westwood Golf Course in Newton; four miles east of that site, crews are expected to close off the second bridge over Prairie Creek on April 22.

In other action Tuesday, the board of supervisors:

• Voted 3-0 to approve a budget amendment for fiscal year 2019. According to budget documents, the original budget was adopted March 13, 2018. The fiscal year will end June 30.

• Voted 3-0 to approve a request from Jasper County Sheriff John Halferty to use the courthouse lawn for the annual police memorial service from about 5 to 6:30 p.m. on May 16.

• Voted 3-0 to approve three separate transfer orders. Attorney collections will receive $5,406 from the general basic fund. Secondary roads fund will receive $109,629 from the general basic fund and $1,067,285 from the rural services fund.

• Held an engineering work session to discuss the 2019 grading plan and debate whether to apply dust control substances like calcium chloride to gravel roads without adding any extra rock on top of it. Stutt said the main purpose of the work session was to sit down with the supervisors and “come up with a direction that we’re going to head to try to improve the drainage and conditions of the gravel roads as quickly as possible.”