Project Overview
Bridge over East Fork Big Creek
The Harrison County bridge on County Road 687/W. 310th Place over East Fork Big Creek, located in Bethany, Harrison County, Missouri, has been programmed for replacement.
Project Purpose and Need
Due to a critical inspection finding in 2018, the existing bridge carrying W 310th Place over East Fork Big Creek was closed. Additionally, in 2018 it received a sufficiency rating of 20.7% and in 2010 its deficiency was classified as structural. The purpose of the project is to have a functional and safe bridge that allows vehicular traffic, including farm equipment, to once again cross the bridge and utilize the roadway
Current Status
The bridge is currently closed and not functional due to a critical inspection finding. This county bridge is a seven-panel, pin-connected, Pratt Pony Through Truss, constructed circa 1910 and relocated to its current location in 1930.
Type of Structure
The bridge consists of a 14-foot-wide by 159-foot-long, two-span steel and wood structure. The west span consists of steel rolled beams and the east span consists of a truss span. Both spans utilize wood deck planks and provide a roadway width of 13 feet. The intermediate bent and end bents are constructed of concrete.
Proposed Bridge
Harrison County plans to remove the existing bridge and replace it with a 26-foot-wide by 200-foot-long span bridge on the existing alignment. The substructure elements will be driven piling.
Historic Properties and the Undertaking Effects on Historic Properties
Information about this bridge (Bridge #6870010) and other structures of its type was provided by the Missouri Department of Transportation's (MoDOT) Historic Preservation Section on October 22, 2019. The Historic Preservation Section stated the bridge is not in the National Bridge Inventory for 2019, but there are approximately 40 through truss, pinconnected bridges in Missouri (4 in the northwest district and 15 in northern Missouri). According to the Historic Preservation Section, this bridge is eligible for inclusion in the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) under Criteria C as a good example of a pinconnected through truss bridge.
This information, as well as the project description and location maps, were submitted to the State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO) on October 25, 2019. In a November 19, 2019 letter, SHPO replied saying the initial Section 106 submission did not address the effects of the project on the bridge and that this will need to be determined in order to continue its review of the project. A cultural resources survey was not requested by SHPO; however, SHPO recommended working with MoDOT to determine the effects of the project to the NRHP-eligible bridge.
This project proposes to replace the historic bridge with a new structure on the existing alignment. The bridge is eligible for the National Register, and this action constitutes an "adverse effect" to the structure as described in 36CFR800.5(a)(2)(i) of the regulations implementing the National Historic Preservation Act because it would require the removal of the bridge from the existing location – either by demolition or through relocation for reuse in another location. An Alternatives Analysis has been prepared and “construction of a new bridge on the existing alignment” was chosen as the most reasonable long-term solution for Harrison County.
On November 26, 2019, a letter was submitted to SHPO stating that the project (demolition of the NRHP-eligible bridge) will have an “adverse effect” on the historic property. The bridge will be advertised as available for reuse for a period of 60 days (January 15, 2020-March 15, 2020). The availability of the bridge was marketed in accordance with the Missouri Bridge Marketing Plan (2017) with direct marketing, web-based marketing, and electronic communication. Removal and replacement of Bridge #6870010 (on the existing alignment) will require a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) stipulating measures to mitigate the “adverse effect” of the removal of the bridge.
