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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend September 9, 2005 Precast concrete sections make up the new bridge over East Evans Creek at Wimer. The project is expected to be completed by the end of the month. Mail Tribune / Bob Pennell Factory delay stalls bridge work By SANNE SPECHT Mail Tribune WIMER — Travelers dealing with the East Evans Creek Bridge construction detour will have to put up with the inconvenience until the end of this month. According to Jackson County officials, the old bridge’s concrete girder system was cracked, forcing replacement of the entire bridge. The county had hoped to be able to lift the detour and route traffic across one lane of the new bridge by Sept. 2. But construction delays on the $2.285 million project — which began in June — forced county engineers to continue rerouting traffic along Minthorne, Pine Grove and Queens Branch roads. "We’ve had a four-week slip," said Mike Kuntz. "We’re going to be delayed until (Sept. 30)." The factory building the 120- to 150-foot-long precast concrete sections of the bridge had a breakdown which took four weeks to repair, Kuntz says. Advertisement Now that the bridge’s prefabricated sections have arrived, Kuntz said he expected the project to move ahead smoothly. Foundation work has been completed. The beam and deck sections will be secured and the bridge will be paved, he said. The decision not to install a temporary bridge was dictated by cost and the lack of community demands. A temporary bridge would have added $120,000 to the project costs. The county sought community comments from advisory committees, and held a public meeting in Rogue River in September 2004 to explain the details of replacing the failing bridge about 700 feet south of Queens Branch Road. "I’ve had zero phone calls (of complaint)," said Kuntz. "I’m looking forward to getting this project completed." The Evans Creek Bridge is one of three bridges slated for replacement in the northern end of Jackson County. The $7 million series of projects includes another Wimer area bridge, also on East Evans Creek Road, at milepost 13.25 about halfway between Wimer and Sams Valley. That bridge, the least expensive of the bridge projects at $1.8 million, has been put on temporary hold. Kuntz says the United States Army Corps of Engineers was late getting construction permits and the project will be delayed until 2006. "We can’t get the work done on time," said Kuntz. "Instead of having a mess all over, we’re going to delay this for one for a year." In the interim, the city of Rogue River will have its aged and failing bridge on West Main Street replaced for $2.2 million, says Kuntz. Construction is expected to last 16 to 18 months, he said. "We’re putting the bid out in November," said Kuntz. Funding for the projects comes from the Oregon Transportation Act of 2003. Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker dvd-r Distance Education Computer Security Ztechmedia Website Hosting Student Loans tcg student loan consolidation Online Pharmacy online casino Myspace Home Equity Loans Windermere Van Vleet Rogue Valley Travel Reservationstogo Hotel Reservations Southern Oregon Loans Online Casino News Natto Kinase Nattokinase Casino Gambling Sites Budget Website Templates Advertisement s