County engineer outlines options for White Mills Bridge and flags pedestrian conversion as fallback

Mark Absher, speaking for the county engineering office at the July 14 Hardin County Fiscal Court meeting, described options under review for White Mills Bridge and said the county has provided consultants in Lexington with background materials, including the state's 2012 plans.

"Converting the bridge over to pedestrian traffic is an absolute if there's no other options at all," Absher said, noting consultants will present cost estimates for other repair or replacement options. Absher said the county also reviewed previous before-and-after reports and that limited repairs done in 2012 were judged to have left the bridge in a "fair" condition.

Absher asked the court to consider pursuing local funding rather than waiting on the state for some projects, and he said the engineering office is preparing to request state funds for highway safety improvement projects where necessary. He also discussed MUTCD-related retroreflectivity work and adding advance signage to better manage heavy vehicles and tonnage routing where appropriate.

The consultant review and any recommended capital work will be brought back to the court with cost estimates for consideration. No formal decision on White Mills Bridge was made at the meeting.