County moving ahead with Grimes Mill bridge repair

Published 11:24 am Tuesday, April 4, 2017

County workers should be able to perform most of the work to repair a bridge on Grimes Mill Road themselves, county officials said.

A bridge near Munch’s Corner was closed for four days beginning March 25 after one of the support beams failed, Clark County Judge-Executive Henry Branham said. Presently, the bridge has been replaced with two drainage culverts and a gravel base, he said.

“(Road Supervisor Kevin Wilson) thinks he’ll be able to make a permanent structure out of what we have,” Branham said.

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Branham said they thought about replacing it with another span bridge and applying for state funds, but said the county has used culverts in similar situations and made permanent bridges.

Branham said the Grimes Mill bridge was on the list for maintenance needs, he said.

The state has a program to pay 80 percent of replacement costs for two bridges shorter than 20 feet per county each year, he said. If the county can repair it in-house, those funds can be used for other projects.

The project was declared an emergency, which allows the county to avoid the bid process and complete projects more quickly.

Branham said a concrete company will have to be hired for the finish work. Even so, he estimates it should cost $20,000 to $25,000 to complete.

About Fred Petke

Fred Petke is a reporter for The Winchester Sun, the Jessamine Journal and the State Journal. His beats include cops, courts, fire, public records, city and county government and other news. To contact Fred, email fred.petke@bluegrassnewsmedia.com or call 859-759-0051.

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