County receives biennial bridge inspection report; five bridges prioritized for rehabilitation

United Consulting presented the Pulaski County bridge phase 1 inspection report, summarizing the county’s bridge inventory, condition ratings and a 10-year priority schedule that lists the five bridges most likely to need rehabilitation or replacement.

Chris Dyer, project manager for United Consulting, told the commissioners that bridge inspections are federally required every two years and that Federal Highway reimbursement offsets inspection costs. The binder provided to the county contains individual bridge reports, photos and summary tables; the two-page summary highlights the county’s top five priority bridges and condition metrics.

Dyer said Pulaski County’s bridges skew older: roughly 60% of bridges are over 50 years old. He recommended preventive maintenance items — asphalt or concrete overlays, joint replacements, approach reconstruction and scour protection — as cost-effective interventions to extend service life for bridges that are older but currently in acceptable condition. He emphasized that being on a replacement list is an ordering tool to plan over a 10-year horizon, not an immediate replacement requirement.

Consultants and county staff discussed the Tippecanoe River bridges, which have had multiple repairs and are now in a phase of prioritized work. United Consulting said the county could consider placing six to eight bridges on next year’s round of rehabilitation funding applications and noted that community crossings grants can leverage approximately a 4:1 match for eligible work. County staff asked for engineering estimates and a plan for applying for those funds.

The consultants left the county with a complete binder plus a flash drive containing the inspection photos, county map and individual bridge reports to help highway staff program future work.