Work starts to fix Benton County bridge damaged by May flooding

BENTONVILLE — Construction has started to repair Gooseberry Road bridge, according to a county official.

Floodwaters damaged the bridge off of Price Coffee Road northeast of Bentonville in May. Price Coffee Road is a paved, two-lane road that runs east-west from its intersection with Arkansas 72 to its intersection with Slaughter Pen and East Ford Springs roads.

Construction started recently with improvements to the existing concrete abutments and wing walls. Work on the main bridge span, deck and all other work is slated to begin in December after concrete abutments have cured properly, said Josh Beam, chief county engineer.

“Once the water levels were low enough to perform damage assessments, we immediately returned to the site to determine the extent of the damage,” Beam wrote in a letter sent Nov. 4 to those who live near the bridge. “Upon this inspection, it was determined that several of the main load carrying girder beams had been compromised and the bridge deck was beyond repair resulting in the bridge being unsafe for vehicular traffic.”

Beam’s letter was sent to 88 nearby residents of the bridge, said Melody Kwok, county communications director.

Beam said he recommended the bridge remain closed until repairs and/or replacement could be completed. He said he understands the bridge closure has inconvenienced many property owners and visitors in the area. The bridge is about 31 feet long and was built in 1982, Beam said.

Some of the repairs and improvements will include saw- cutting and replacing damaged sections of the existing bridge’s concrete abutments and wing walls, replacing damaged main load carrying girder beams with new structural steel girder beams, adding shear connectors to the beams to stiffen the bridge

and distribute loads better, and adding lateral supports between the beams to restrain the beams from lateral forces such as flowing floodwaters and debris, according to the letter.

The estimated cost for repairs is under $100,000, Beam said. The county hopes to complete the job by the end of March, he said.