Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette
County knocks out bridge projects
BENTONVILLE — A bridge in Benton County has a fresh look.
The Cow Face Bridge spanning Hickory Creek opened April 3, county officials said. The bridge on Cow Face Road, east of Springdale, is a prefabricated steel arch span with greater structural capacity to allow use by buses and emergency vehicles.
“It’s not just a matter of convenience for a resident to have the shortest distance to get somewhere; it affects life and safety issues with regard to our rural fire department, our EMS services and our sheriff’s patrol,” Justice of the Peace Tom Allen said. “Adding extra minutes to response times can cost lives and make all the difference for an emergency response of any kind. But convenience is also a consideration.”
The water in Hickory Creek flows better during storms, and debris buildup is reduced by using a single arch span without intermediate supports, county chief engineer Josh Beam said.
The project cost $954,936 and was part of the county’s five-year bridge plan. It took six months to finish the job.
The rolling five-year bridge program started in 2017, County Judge Barry
Moehring said. Bridges making it onto the list include large replacements or renovation and projects involving large amounts of state money.
The restoration of War Eagle Bridge and the planned construction to replace Osage Creek Bridge on Old Arkansas 68 are among some projects in the program, Moehring said.
Justice of the Peace Susan Anglin said plans for big bridge repairs are often multiyear projects.
“Bridge projects are never cheap, and the five-year plan is more efficient use of every tax dollar,” she said.
It’s also been a beneficial and efficient use of county money to have an engineer on staff for help on road and bridge decisions, Anglin said. Beam started work with the county in April 2017. His salary is $98,175.
Cow Face is just one of many bridge projects Benton County has finished or is working on this year. State and federal grants have paid for a bulk of the work.
The cost of bridge improvements since 2017 has been about $8.4 million with $5.7 million coming from state money or other grants. The county share was $2.7 million, Moehring said.
The county finished work Feb. 6 on Snavely Bridge over Osage Creek. The bridge is on Snavely Road, west of Elm Springs. Construction began Aug. 27, Beam said.
The project included concrete road approaches, bridge aprons and wingwalls. Each side of the approaches have grouted riprap to protect against washouts during flooding, Beam said.
The cost was $896,924. A Federal Emergency Management Agency hazard mitigation grant covered 80% with a 20% match paid by the county.
Work on the Limekiln Bridge started Jan. 21 and was finished March 21. The bridge is on Limekiln Road west of Gravette and crosses Spavinaw Creek. The work repaired major erosion around the bridge abutment and foundation piles and restored the streambank on the north side of the creek on the upstream side of the bridge.
The cost was $175,740 — paid for with a U.S. Department of Agriculture-National Resources Conservation Service Emergency waterside protection grant. The grant covered 75%, and 25% was county money. Similar grants and the same cost split was used to repair two other bridges.
The repair of major erosion at the Mill Dam Bridge abutment and streambank restoration on both sides of the bridge over Little Osage Creek also was finished March 21. The bridge is on Mill Dam Road, just north of Phillips Cemetery Road, east of Northwest Arkansas National Airport. The cost was $120,180.
Work also has finished on North Old Wire Bridge over Limekiln Creek. The bridge is on North Old Wire Road at the intersection of Limekiln Road near Garfield. The $40,900 project repaired erosion around the bridge abutment, drilled pier foundations and restored streambank on the upstream side of the bridge.
The county has 98 bridges that are state inspected as part of the National Bridge Inspection Program because they span more than 20 feet in length. When shorter span bridges and large culverts are added there are over 250 bridge structures in the county, Beam said.
The county has started work on Wagon Wheel Bridge and Robinson Bridge, he said.
Wagon Wheel Bridge is on Wagon Wheel Road, west of Springdale. Replacement design is about 60% complete. The county plans to apply for construction money in the 2021 grant funding cycle, Beam said.
Robinson Bridge is on Robinson Road, south of U.S. 412. Design of a replacement is being worked on. The design is being done in house and will be completed in the third quarter of this year, he said.