Tank cars to replace bridge over bayou

The Sanderson Lane bridge over McKinney Bayou in Texarkana, Ark., is expected to be replaced with railroad tank cars in a joint venture with the city and Miller County.

The estimated cost to replace the bridge is $55,000, according to County Judge Roy John McNatt. The figure is the estimate provided by Cleve Batte Construction, which was awarded the contract.

The company estimated that using concrete would

cost about $250,000.

The rail car bridge would use three tank cars, each 48 feet long and 10 feet in diameter, McNatt said.

“The rail cars will make a good, strong bridge. The pilings were made from telephone poles, and they have rotted.”

The construction should take no longer than two weeks, said Jeff Whitten, Texarkana, Ark., Public Works director.

Miller County will pay about $13,000, which is one-fourth of the costs, since a quarter of the bridge is in the county, Whitten said. Texarkana, Ark., would pay the remaining $42,000, since three-fourths of the bridge is in the city limits.

Arkansas State Highway and Transportation Department has been inspecting the bridge annually. On the last inspection, the department recommended closure and making repairs, Whitten said.

The bridge was closed earlier this year.

Staff photo by Evan Lewis Roy John McNatt, Miller County judge, talks Thursday about needed repairs to the McKinney Bayou bridge. The county recently closed the bridge, eliminating access from the south to Interstate 49 from Sanderson Lane, after it was discovered to be unsafe...