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County closes Morrigan bridge after inspector finds critical weld cracks; $3 million replacement estimated
Summary
Following a consultant inspection, Jackson County closed the Morrigan bridge after inspectors flagged a progressing crack in a welded splice; staff submitted the bridge for county bridge construction funding and are evaluating repair options to restore a 15-ton limit.
Jackson County closed the Morrigan bridge to traffic after a consultant inspection identified a critical crack in a welded splice that county staff said had progressed significantly over the prior six months.
County staff member Jane Schackle told the board the bridge originally had been moved from Highway 64 to its current location on 74th Street in the mid-1980s and that workers welded angle iron to splice sections of the lower bridge chord at that time. The consultant classified the newly observed crack as a critical finding and recommended closure to prevent potential collapse if the weld were to fail.
“We closed the bridge due to public safety,” Schackle said. “If that weld were to fail, there could be a potential for the bridge to collapse.” She said inspectors are still determining whether repairs can restore the structure to its previous 15-ton posted weight limit.
Schackle said the county applied for the annual county bridge construction fund administered by the Department of Transportation; the county previously received awards for Channelworth Bridge and Ironbridge. She said there is no guarantee of funding and that awards are made on a point-scored matrix that accounts for replacement cost, traffic, detour length and channel/substructure ratings.
The county estimated the Morrigan bridge replacement cost at about $3,000,000, Schackle told the board. She said the county expected to know whether it received any state bridge construction funds by the end of March and that decisions about repairs or replacement will follow additional engineering analysis and any funding outcomes.
Schackle asked residents to respect posted weight limits on other county bridges while the county completes inspections and repair planning; she noted Jackson County has about 249 bridges in its inventory that are subject to weight postings and inspections.
No repair solution or schedule was finalized at the Jan. 7 meeting; the board did not vote on bridge replacement or a repair contract during the session.
