Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Infrastructure topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Rose Engineering: Canal Bridge showing timber abutment rot; firm recommends load postings and $3 million replacement grant application
Summary
Rose Engineering presented the 2025 bridge inspection: the Canal Bridge’s north timber abutment is deteriorating and the firm recommends posting 50% legal loads, repairing spalled concrete at other structures and applying for an $3,000,000 replacement grant via SD DOT. City crews have patched some spalling since inspection.
Mitchell — Rose Engineering reported the results of the 2025 bridge inspections and recommended immediate operational and funding steps for several structures.
Engineer Eric Prunty said the Canal Bridge (structure 18-129-060, west side of Lake Mitchell) has a timber north abutment cap that is "starting to rot" and cracking; the firm recommended posting the bridge at 50% of legal loads (a single unit of about 12 tons and a combination of 20 tons) to reduce stress. Prunty said the deterioration appears to be stable compared with the 2024 inspection but replacement planning should proceed and the city should pursue a preliminary engineering grant through the South Dakota Department of Transportation. "It doesn't appear to have gotten any worse since 2024," he said, while noting the high complexity and cost of replacing that abutment.
Inspectors also noted spalling and exposed, corroding rebar on the Sanborn Bridge and an adjacent triple-box culvert; city crews or contractors have already patched some areas identified in the report. Foster Street Bridge, which underwent preservation work in 2022, was reported in good condition.
Prunty told the council the replacement structure being proposed for grant budgeting was estimated at about $3,000,000 and that grant applications are due early next year; typical state-local cost-sharing noted was an 80/20 split (state/city) for the type of grant discussed. Staff indicated they will bring a grant application to council for approval if the city wishes to pursue replacement funding.
