DOT to replace Washington County bridge deemed functionally obsolete

BRIGHTON - Part of a state highway running through the middle of Washington County will be closed for nine months to replace an outdated bridge deemed functionally obsolete.

An Iowa 1 bridge crossing the Skunk River near Brighton, in the southwest part of the county, will be closed beginning Jan. 26 as replacement construction begins, the Iowa Department of Transportation's Mount Pleasant office announced. The bridge and road are expected to be reopened in mid-October.

'It's a narrow bridge and there's no shoulder on it,” said Jacob Thorius, Washington County engineer. 'There's not a lot of room if someone would have a flat tire. It's narrow and doesn't meet today's standards.”

Thorius said it is a DOT project and his office doesn't have much involvement. Staff from the DOT's Mount Pleasant office were working in the field and not immediately available for comment.

The bridge was built in 1953 and carries 2,440 vehicles a day, according to the National Bridge Inventory maintained by the Federal Highway Administration, It is considered functionally obsolete, which means it doesn't meet current codes but not necessarily unsafe.

However, the data also shows the bridge has deteriorated.

Three of its critical components - the deck, substructure and superstructure - had condition ratings of 5, according to the federal data. A rating of 4 on any of those features would mark it as structurally deficient, a category designed to enhance monitoring.

The overall sufficiency rating for the bridge is 31.8 out of 100, according to federal data.

'They show there's a need based on their inspection records and I don't question it,” Thorius said of the DOT replacing the bridge.

The new bridge over the Skunk River will be 44-feet wide with two 12-foot lanes and 10-foot paved shoulders on both sides, according to the DOT announcement. The replacement project is estimated at $5.1 million, and Iowa Bridge and Culver LC is the contractor.

A detour will route traffic to the east of Iowa 1, on Iowa 92 to W-55 to W-47 to Iowa 78, and back to Iowa 1. The detour will add about six miles to those needing to cross the river. The Brighton boat access will remain open during construction, according to the DOT.

Thorius said it is a busy road for that part of the county with thru traffic trying to get between Washington and Fairfield or Ottumwa, but he does not expect the detour to be too much of a disruption.