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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » NEWS NOW Guest Opinion: Medford should strive to be more like Bend ... Poison in the well ... Gold Hill rallies to save IOOF Lodge ... Guest Opinion: Medford should strive to be more like Bend ... Poison in the well ... Gold Hill rallies to save IOOF Lodge ... TALENT Wagner Creek Bridge repairs set into motion Comment By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 8, 2014 at 12:01 AM By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 8, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Social News TALENT — Wagner Creek Bridge on Rapp Road will get some TLC after an October vehicle accident that damaged the north side guardrail led to discovery of other problems. An engineering firm that examined the bridge after the accident found damage from the impact and wear to the bridge deck surface that has allowed moisture and dirt to accumulate and led to some deterioration of components. Structural integrity of the bridge was not impaired by the accident or the moisture. “We know what we have to do and we’ll do it,” said City Manager Tom Corrigan. “It seems relatively straight-forward to do the work.” Jackson County transferred Rapp Road and the bridge to the city in the last decade. Replacement of the bridge, which lacks walkways and bike lanes, is a long-term goal and the county agreed to pay 20 percent of that cost. Estimates for bridge replacement are $2 million, Corrigan said. “We are making it a little bit better,” said Corrigan. City crews will perform as much of the work as possible to expedite the process. Work can’t commence until bolts designed specifically for holding posts to bridges are secured and they are currently back-ordered. “You can’t just go to Home Depot and get them,” said Corrigan. There’s no project cost estimate at this time. Because of the limited amount of asphalt required that work will be combined with other projects. Problems cited in the report by engineer Nathan Cottrill of Burgess & Niple, Inc. include: Timber wheel guards on the north side show rot revealed by the crash. Timber rails and the wheel guards on the south side show checks. There are 3/8th inch-wide transverse cracks two to three feet apart on the asphalt deck on top of the wood decking and a one-square foot area is chipping. Most of the deck is leaking and saturated and may not drain due to blocked slots. Timber girders were not damaged by the accident. Two girders show checks at 13 and 14 feet long that should be monitored. The firm recommends replacing both the north and south guardrails and wheel guards, sealing deck cracks and repair of the surface chipping. No one was injured in the accident but a piece of the guardrail penetrated the vehicle’s engine compartment, Police Chief Mike Moran said. No citation was issued. A temporary guardrail made of two by fours was erected. Besides the bridge work, Rapp Road will get rumble strips designed to alert drivers if they cross the center lane or head off the road. Milled-in shoulder and center-lane rumble strips will be put into the road surface on the center lane and road edges. The work from Talent Avenue to Wagner Creek Road is estimated to cost $35,000. It will be done when a specialty firm is in the area for other jobs, Corrigan said. Concerns about school children walking and biking from the Parkside Apartments to middle and elementary schools over the bridge and along the roadway have been voiced for several years. A federal Safe Routes to Schools grant is being sought to improve access, said Corrigan. In 2012 more than 100 signatures were submitted to City Council urging improvements for cyclists and pedestrians along Rapp Road. Earlier that year a volunteer group constructed a narrow walkway on part of the road’s north side. Tony Boom is a freelance writer living in Ashland. Reach him at [email protected].   By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Tony Boom for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 8, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... 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