War Eagle Bridge opens ahead of schedule

BENTONVILLE — The War Eagle Bridge looks as good now as it has at any time in the past 91 years, longtime area resident Billy Sharp said.

The bridge opened for traffic around 8 a.m. Wednesday after being closed for renovation since May 8.

“I think with the work they’ve done it’s probably good for another 100 years,” Sharp said of the 109-yearold bridge. “They’ve done an excellent job. I sat there and watched them most days. They can’t predict ahead of time how long it will last, of course, but I think they’ve done a good job.”

This is the second time in the 91 years he’s lived in the area the bridge had to be closed for repairs, Sharp said. The county closed the bridge for most of the summer of 2010.

“There’s never been anything wrong with it except for those two times, in my lifetime,” Sharp said.

Sharp said he’s glad the county was able to get the work done before Bikes, Blues & BBQ and the fall craft fair.

The county has restricted traffic on the bridge since 2013 by lowering the weight limit to 3 tons. The county spent about $640,000 on repair in 2010, but state inspectors found critical deficiencies during an inspection in 2013.

The county hired Great River Engineering of Springfield, Mo., to inspect the bridge and identify problems, then do design work to restore the bridge. The firm developed a threetiered approach with each step including more repair to extend the life of the bridge.

The contract with Crossland Heavy Construction included a final completion date of Sept. 30. County Judge Barry Moehring said the county will take any money saved and use it for signs, traffic control measures and other safety-related needs. A ribbon-cutting is set for 11 a.m. Oct. 4.

The county had $1.4 million in the budget for the work, according to Brenda Guenther, comptroller. The county also received a $500,000 federal grant to offset some of the repair cost.

Johnice Cross, general manager of the War Eagle Mill, said the bridge opening brought people out almost immediately.

“It’s busy out here,” Cross said Wednesday afternoon. “The bridge is open, and we’ve got bikers in the parking lot.”

The bridge is an important part of the craft fair and the year-round tourism of the area, Cross said.

“During the fair we’ll have thousands of people on that bridge every day,” she said. “I think once the news gets out everybody will want to come out and see how it looks. I think people who haven’t visited this year because they didn’t want to drive around will come out now. At least I hope they will.”

Jay Frasier, the county’s public services administrator and head of the Road Department, said the reduced weight limit on the bridge will continue until the county receives a final report from the state. Frasier hasn’t been given a timeline on the completion of inspection report but the initial, verbal observations of the inspectors while they were at the bridge Tuesday were positive.

“It’s just some touch-up items; that’s all they’ve given us,” Frasier said.