(October 6, 2008)-- Old and outdated, several bridges in Bell County need to be replaced, and the county is asking the federal government to foot the bill.
Monday county commissioners submitted several bridges to TX-DOT to be included in the National Bridge Replacement Program.
The county has taken advantage of this program for several years now.
Bridges can qualify for replacement if they meet certain criteria.
However, that's where the debate begins as county officials say there are some bridges that should be higher on the list, but seem to be left off completely.
With 150 bridges around Bell County, keeping up with repairs is a constant battle.
"None of these is an imminent danger of collapse at this time. That's not the kind of problems that we've got on our bridge system," Bell County Engineer Richard Macchi said.
But there are several that are aging.
In March, Macchi said close to half of the county's bridges need some sort of work or they will only get worse.
Several around the county qualify to be replaced by the federal government, but commissioners say others are being ignored.
"There are others that we think that should rank at least as high, Commissioner Tim Brown said. “We've got a couple that I have serious concerns about. I think they're safety considerations that really need to be addressed."
One in particular is where Amity Road crosses Salado creek.
The bridge is low and is only one lane.
However, it does not meet the standards for the program and the county can't afford to replace it on its own.
"That's really the issue,” Brown said. The bridge that I’m really concerned about would be a very expensive project, and if I were to undertake it, just with county funds alone, it would completely wipe out my precinct funds for a year."
The bridge replacement program pays for 80 percent of each project, while the state and county pick up the rest of the tab, but any replacements to come are still several years away.
"The program is for 2010 to 2014, so that's the earliest we're looking at getting some of these bridges replaced,” Macchi said.
The county will also continue work on replace other bridges on its own.
Later on this week, Commissioner Brown is expected to give a representative of TX-DOT a tour of several bridges that the county sees as a priority for replacement, hoping eventually to get them on the list.
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