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Grant will help replace 2-in-1 bridge By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT - Travelers on East Pine Street might not realize it, but when they cross the bridge over Bear Creek, they're actually crossing two bridges built in different generations. And Jackson County just received $4.1 million to replace the older half. "It's sort of unusual to have two separate bridges functioning as one," said Mike Kuntz, county roads construction engineer. "But they are two completely separate structures, built about a quarter of an inch and several decades apart." The first bridge was built in 1946 to handle two lanes of traffic. But traffic volume grew beyond its capacity by the mid-1980s. Rather than build a new bridge, the county knocked off the railings and added a three-lane bridge to serve westbound traffic and provide a center lane. Like many concrete bridges built in Oregon in the 1940s, the first bridge is cracking. Designed when the maximum legal load for trucks to carry was 80,000 pounds, the bridge now accommodates trucks carrying 105,000 pounds. "That's one and a quarter times as much weight," Kuntz said. "When you repeatedly put loads on a bridge that it wasn't designed to carry, it will ultimately catch up to you. A lot of bridges around the state are experiencing the same problems." Replacement of the bridge is being financed through the Federal Highway Bridge Replacement Program. Its goal is to replace all the failing bridges in the country. Administered by the Oregon Department of Transportation, the funding will cover 80 percent of the project. Jackson County will cover the rest with its share of revenues from the state gas tax. Kuntz anticipated a preliminary schedule and bidding information would be available by late April or early May. In addition to the Pine Street bridge, the Kirtland Road bridge will be replaced with federal funding. Kuntz said the estimated $1.9 million project was expected to begin in late spring. The old structure will handle traffic during the 18 months of construction and traffic delays will be minimal. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.