A pair of Montgomery County bridges are slated for repairs.
Two Indiana-based engineering firms have been selected to design the upcoming projects at Jim Davis Bridge on C.R. 600W over Sugar Creek and the bridge on C.R. 500N outside Darlington.
The work is expected to add 30 years to the life of the bridges, county engineer Jim Peck said.
The board of commissioners awarded a $54,000 contract to Beam, Longest and Neff for the Jim Davis project. Crews will use high-pressured water to remove deteriorated concrete, a process known as hydrodemolition, and rehabilitate the deck.
Crews will also pour new concrete, replace expansion joints and do guardrail upgrades.
A $78,060 contract was awarded to VS Engineering for the second project. Similar repairs are planned along with erosion protection.
The firm will be paid to secure the right-of-way and acquire land if it is determined the county does not have full access to the site, but Peck does not believe that will be necessary.
“The original construction plans back in … the ‘50s show there was right-of-way in the plans,” Peck told commissioners. “We just need to do a title search to make sure the county owns that right-of-way.”
Both projects will require permits from the Army Corps of Engineers, Indiana Department of Natural Resources and the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
The design and permitting process should be completed by the end of the year, Peck said.
More than $5.5 million in bids have been opened for additional erosion protection and other work on nine other bridges throughout the county. Some of the bids include funds for the county’s share of the Indiana Community Crossings Matching Grant program.
In October, the county learned it would receive nearly $1 million to repave roads and bridges.
