Historic ‘Blue Bridge’ collapses as crews tried to move it

BERTRAM — Linn County’s historic “Blue Bridge” on Bertram Road was damaged Monday when crews tried to lift it and move it to the Indian Creek Nature Center and likely is not salvageable.

Crews were lifting the bridge off its foundation when the bridge structure twisted, county officials said in a news release

The Linn County Secondary Road Department does not anticipate the bridge can be saved, but engineering contractors will evaluate the structure to make a final determination.

No one was injured in the bridge collapse. Bertram Road remains closed to traffic.

The nearby nature center was planning to use the 146-year-old bridge — a registered historic structure — to bridge a ravine on its trail system.

The steel truss bridge, the oldest in Linn County, was built in 1876 and has a timber surface. The bridge was painted blue in 1991.

Because of its historic designation, Linn County was required to mitigate its loss by placing an informational kiosk at the replacement bridge as well as signage to mark its original location.

Linn County plans to keep that portion of the plan in place and will explore other options to preserve the bridge’s history.

“We are disappointed that the Blue Bridge most likely will not be moved and reused at the Nature Center as planned,” Linn County Assistant Engineer Garret Reddish said in a statement.

“Due to the age of the bridge, it was always a possibility that the structure could be damaged during the lifting and moving process, and that’s what happened.”

In fact, Reddish last November warned how tricky it would be to move the old bridge.

The rest of the Bertram Road and bridge replacement project will move forward.

The $2.5 million project involves removing the existing road, realigning the road for the new bridge, installing new culverts and adding a new concrete beam bridge that meets Iowa Department of Transportation standards.

Roads were already closed around the project. Many of the closures will remain in effect until the bridge work wraps up in October.

For text or email updates on this and other Linn County Secondary Road construction projects, visit LinnCountyIowa.gov/NotifyMe.

Additional information on road closures in the Linn County secondary road system is available on the county’s road closure and restrictions website.

Comments: (319) 398-8494; marissa.payne@thegazette.com