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Bridge in Clintonville may cost $100,000 to repair

Clintonville administrator recommends 2016 maintenance

By Bert Lehman


The city of Clintonville’s Finance Committee learned at its Aug. 10 meeting that estimates to repair the bridge on Hemlock Street came in at $80,000 to $100,000.

Discussion about the bridge first took place at the Aug. 4 Street Committee meeting. At that meeting, Toby Kersten, director of Public Works for the city of Clintonville, told committee members that he was still waiting for an estimate from the company currently rebuilding the bridge on Main Street.

Committee chairwoman Mary Beth Kuester said the city was trying to get that company to do the maintenance on the bridge while it was still in town, in an effort to save the city money.

When capital improvement projects were discussed at the Aug. 10 Finance Committee meeting, the bridge on Hemlock Street once again was discussed.

Kersten said the city should plan on budgeting between $80,000 and $100,000 to do the necessary maintenance on the bridge on Hemlock Street.

“We were hoping to basically do that as a project this year with the contractors being in town,” said Chuck Kell, city administrator. “If it was under $25,000 we wouldn’t have to bid it.”

Since the initial estimate came in higher than $25,000, Kell said the city will have to bid the project out.

“It’s more than we had thought,” Kell said.

Finance Committee Chairwoman Jeannie Schley asked for verification that the estimated cost is just for maintenance.

“That’s just for maintenance,” Kersten said.

Kersten said the largest maintenance item on the bridge is the wear on the compression seals on each end of the bridge. The expansion device is also wrecked.

“That is actually shoving the sidewalk and railing, it’s wrecking all that,” Kersten said. “Painting is about the cheapest part, and we only planned on painting six feet underneath where the rust was.”

Kersten said the rust is where the bridge meets land.

“That’s not a good place to rust,” Kersten said.

Kell suggested the city have the maintenance done to the bridge in 2016.

“It needs to be done because the longer you wait, the bridge is going to get worse,” Kell said. “Probably what we should do is plug it in for 2016 because you’re not going to be able to do it in 2017 if they have Main Street closed down again.”

If the second phase of the Main Street project is moved up to 2016, Kell said the bridge maintenance should be done in 2017.

“I don’t think you want to let it go because there is shifting and problems that are happening out there now and if you keep waiting it (cost) is just going to go up,” Kell said.

Bridge history
According to the May 28, 2014 bridge maintenance report, the bridge on Hemlock Street was first built in 1958.

The notes in the report about that inspection included items that needed to be maintained on the bridge.

The report stated, “To extend the life of the bridge, it should have an application of Epoxy (TK9000) and TK (290) sealer because the cracks are open and working. No repair since last inspection. Cut brush all corners. Rusting at all ends girders at north end with section loss packrust should be removed, girder ends should be primed to repaint after strip seal has been repaired. Moveable bearing is not working. Should be repaired in the same manner as girder ends. Concrete between girder 1 & 2 at northeast corner has a horizontal crack full width. When hit with hammer sounds loose. Paint over graffiti.”

In the Maintenance Items section of the inspection report it listed the priority of the maintenance items as “critical.” It also recommended the city contact bridge builders for estimates to have the repairs done.

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