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CLOUDY Temp: 45 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Wednesday, February 19, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend January 25, 2003 Officials step up Pine Street Bridge work By BUFFY POLLOCK for the Mail Tribune CENTRAL POINT — County officials, who were ordered by the state in May to close the eastbound half of the Pine Street bridge because of its potential failure, have been working at the state and federal levels to accelerate its replacement. Jackson County construction engineer Mike Kuntz reported to City Council Thursday that the original schedule to begin construction by May 2005 had been shortened by 12 to 18 months. Kuntz said bidding could take place as early as this summer; construction would begin six to eight weeks later, by September. "We’ve been pushing real hard to get past the environmental and funding hurdles because we recognize the importance of that link to the county and the city," Kuntz said. "Our goal is a bid date of July 24 — that’s if we’re able to get everything to fall into place." The possibility of speeding up the environmental permitting process (related to in-stream work) is promising, Kuntz added, because the replacement bridge will have less of an environmental impact on Bear Creek than the existing span. "If we do wind up having problems getting the accelerated permitting schedule from the environmental agencies, or with getting funding shifted forward, it could be as late as 2004," he said. The $4.1 million project was approved, prior to bridge closure, under the Federal Bridge Replacement program. The bridge was deemed unsafe when tests by the state last February revealed numerous cracks larger than 0.04, which can accommodate "zero load." While some engineers felt the bridge could remain standing because of other measures of support, others felt the bridge could potentially fail. The original Pine Street bridge was constructed in 1946. The three lanes that remain open to traffic are a separate bridge, built less than an inch away in the 1980s. Kuntz said traffic congestion had been kept to acceptable levels by using the remaining half of the Pine Street bridge. The county planned to avoid constructing a detour bridge for use during construction because the added work would cost between $800,000 and $1 million and would delay completion of the project by up to nine months. Actual bridge replacement is expected to take between 15 and 18 months. Buffy Pollock is a free-lance writer living in Medford. E-mail her at [email protected]. Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright 1997-2002 Mail Tribune. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy webmaster feedback A D V E R T I S E R S