A decision whether to close an aging bridge in southwest Reno County may be coming soon. The bridge located Avery Rd., south of Langdon was damaged last week and according to Public Works Director Dave McComb the span is being inspected by BG Consultants to see if anything can be done to save it. A person drove a heavy vehicle that exceeded the weight limit over the structure causing a portion of it to cave in.
The weight limit on the bridge was 3-tons and was one of the spans that was being considered for closure in the future. Now, depending on what is found with today’s inspection the bridge may close for good. McComb said Tuesday that they can close the bridge for a period of time but sometime down the road the area will need to be vacated which would mean action by the County Commission.
The county has been conducting a study of all bridges in the county to determine if they can be repaired or if they should be vacated. Brittain says if people would adhere to the posted weight limits the bridges could stay open for the foreseeable future, if not then they wont be long before they are forced to condemn the spans.