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About Cottage Grove sentinel. (Cottage Grove, Or.) 1909-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 7, 2015)
8A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL October 7, 2015 Saginaw bridge among those declared 'structurally defi cient' County hopes grant funding can correct 'scouring' at bridge's base BY JON STINNETT The Cottage Grove Sentinel A bout half of the bridges in the state of Or- egon are maintained by county govern- ments, and about seven percent of those bridges can be classifi ed as “structurally defi cient,” ac- cording to a recent report from the Association of Oregon Counties. Analysis from the AOC indicates that “249 county bridges in this state are structurally de- fi cient, which is more than seven percent of the bridges maintained by counties.” According to a recent release, the 2014 analy- sis pointed to the need for “an additional $505 million in annual funding to keep up with main- tenance, preservation and capital needs” of Ore- gon’s roads. “County bridges represent one of the largest shares of this unmet funding need, with a $105 million annual defi cit for bridge replacement, re- pair and construction,” the release stated. “Failure to adequately fund county bridges in Oregon will result in costly detours for busi- nesses trucking goods to market and employees commuting to work. We must act soon to prevent these signifi cant economic burdens on our already struggling rural economies,” noted Emily Ack- land, County Road Program Manager. Here in Lane County, fi ve bridges can be quali- fi ed as structurally defi cient, according to Brad Lemhouse, an engineer with the County’s public works department. Lemhouse said the County ap- plied in July for grant funding to repair three of the bridges and is awaiting word on the outcome of those applications. The County’s bridges are inspected every two years, Lemhouse said, and recent inspections have pointed out the defi ciencies in the Belknap Covered Bridge and the bridge over Salt Creek at Kitchen Springs near Oakridge, which has expe- rienced “a lot of scouring,” or the washing away of the riverbed at the bridge’s pylons, below the water surface. Scouring is also to blame for defi ciencies at the bridge that spans the Coast Fork of the Willamette River in Saginaw, Lemhouse said, which was also the subject of a county grant application. “The bridge starts digging out from its sup- ports, and there is some exposed rebar. Some of the walls are also showing issues,” he said, adding that the “super-structure” of the bridge neverthe- less remains strong. Many of the County’s bridges were replaced in the 1970s and 80s, when “our Road Fund was more fl ush,” according to Lemhouse. “We fi nd ourselves more dependent on federal funding now and will continue to monitor our bridges through the inspection process and take action as needed,” he said. The AOC echoed concerns about a shortage in funding to repair the state’s bridges. “While Oregon’s counties continue to prioritize the repair and maintenance of roads and bridges, insuffi cient revenues have made it impossible to meet the outstanding need,” they stated. “At this point, one in every 14 county bridges is structur- ally defi cient. Without additional funding, this situation will only get worse.” The application for grant funding includes an estimate of just over $1.1 million to shore up the East Saginaw bridge. Lemhouse said the County also inspected bridg- es at Sharps Creek and Brice Creek, though those bridges didn’t warrant action at this time. All of Oregon’s counties are in the mix for grant funding, Lemhouse said, and Lane County likely won’t know if its bridges have been funded for another year. LORANE COUNTRY NEWS BY LIL THOMPSON For the Sentinel T his Saturday, Oct. 10 brings the Rural Arts Council dinner and movie night’s start to the 2015-2016 season. Both meat and veggie soups will be served. It’s fam- ily night, so everyone is invited to attend and enjoy. The Crow Booster Auction on Saturday, Oct. 24 is at Crow High School. Classes in grades K-12 will participate with proj- ects, and the middle/high school will have themed baskets for auction. At the half-day art classes this Thursday, Oct. 8, they will be making costumes with theater artist Alyssa Shep- herd. Helpers are wanted to as- sist in teaching the classes, and those interested can contact ru- ralartcenter@gmail.com or call Shepherd at 541-556-8151. Applegate Elementary has begun an after-school program for its students from 3:25-5 p.m. Space is limited, so those inter- ested are asked to check with the offi ce at 541-686-5140. photo by Jon Stinnett While stating that the "super-structure" of this bridge in Saginaw is sound, county of- fi cials hope grant funding can correct scouring at its base. Birch Avenue Dental Park W. McClung, DDS • Tammy L. McClung, DDS Where dentistry is our profession but people are our focus WELCOMING NEW PATIENTS! 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