Engineer touts bridge work with state program

Published 5:00 am Tuesday, June 6, 2006

County Engineer Carl Ray Furr said Monday that Lincoln Countyhas not squandered opportunities under the Local System BridgeProgram.

“We’re in the top five in the state for completed bridges,” hesaid.

A total of 29 bridges have been built in the county since theprogram’s inception in 1995, Furr said. Seven other projects arepresently under way.

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Furr said an additional $800,000 has just been made availablefor the county under the program and asked supervisors to determinewhich bridges should be given priority. The money would fund atleast one more bridge this year.

District Three Supervisor Nolan Earl Williamson said he wasgrateful for the additional funding, but each district had morepriority bridges that needed to be replaced than there is money toreplace them.

The LBSP program takes too long to move projects through thesystem, he said. By the time a bridge gets scheduled, there areothers falling down.

“I understand the problem,” said State Aid Engineer MartyHilton. “But, the bridges we’re building now last a whole lotlonger than the bridges built then. It’ll average outeventually.”

Williamson’s District Three has received the most benefitthrough LSBP.

Seven bridges have been built in the district at a cost of morethan $800,000. Another two bridges are presently being constructedat a cost of $230,000, according to figures Furr provided.

Financially, District Five has received the most aid with morethan $1.2 million funding six bridges, with another bridge beingconstructed at a cost of more than $155,000.

In other districts, Districts One and Two have each built sixbridges at a cost of nearly $800,000 and more than $1.3 million,respectively.

District One has two bridges presently in the program costingnearly $190,000. District Two does not have any currentprojects.

While District Four is in relatively good shape, Supervisor DougMoak said he could also use additional funding. The district hasbuilt only four bridges under the program, at less than $400,000,and has two projects costing nearly $225,000 under way.

“I don’t have the number of priority bridges as you do, but I dohave some that need work,” Moak said during a meeting of the boardMonday.

He requested that a portion of the new $800,000 be used in hisdistrict.

Supervisors did not decide Monday which bridge, or bridges,would be given priority for the additional funding.