State gets final construction easement, will advertise new Weisenberger Mill Bridge for June 21 bid letting

Last June, weeds grew in the road near the bridge, which at that time had been closed for nearly two years. (Sarah Ladd photo)

By Al Cross and Kristi Fitzgerald
University of Kentucky School of Journalism and Media

The state Transportation Cabinet is preparing to advertise for bids to replace the Weisenberger Mill Bridge, after purchasing a construction easement from mill owners Mac and Sally Weisenberger — and deciding it didn't need an easement from Bryan and Julie Pryor, who live catercorner from the historic mill and the bridge across South Elkhorn Creek.

The project is in the cabinet's June 21 bid letting. That means it likely won't be completed until 2020, disappointing those who are upset about the fact that it has been closed since July 1, 2016, but it will bring to an end a controversy that has lasted most of the decade.

In any event, the Weisenbergers and the Pryors are still not happy with the state.

"I got tired of arguing with them, or just dealing with them," Mac Weisenberger told the Midway Messenger. "And the community here needs a bridge. I didn't want to be accused of holding this thing up."

Weisenberger's easement became the only remaining obstacle to the bid letting after the Transportation Cabinet decided that it could do the project without a temporary construction easement from Pryor.

The Pryors' rock wall is only inches from the road in places.

Pryor said state officials came to an April 26 meeting with a letter saying his easement was no longer needed, though "We were there to talk about solutions to my concerns. They quickly changed the conversation." The cabinet said it does not comment on negotiations.

Both couples have issues with the state that go beyond its need for the easements. Pryor said at a public hearing in August that he is obligated by a historic easement to preserve the wall surrounding his property, made partly of worn-out millstones from the mill. He said today that he is concerned about construction taking place near the wall, which is being undercut by drainage from the road.

The drainage is an issue for the Woodford County Fiscal Court, because Weisenberger Mill Road is a county road. The county is responsible for the bridge, but the state is doing the project in return for Woodford County doing a bridge project in Millville several years ago.

The 89-year-old bridge, a popular scenic spot, was closed on July 1, 2016 due to its old and unsafe steel infrastructure, damaged by trucks crossing while exceeding the weight limit.

The Weisenbergers have voiced concern that plans for the new bridge call for its opening to be two feet narrower than the current one, raising fears that their mill would be in greater danger of water damage when the creek is in flood. When Mac Weisenberger raised that concern, Project Manager Casey Smith said state engineers looked at that, and “They did not see a significant rise out of it.”

Weisenberger then wrote the state, “Where is the proof this won’t cause additional flooding? We haven’t see any report. We will wait until you present us with a No Rise Certification and proof that vibration won’t cause ANY damage now or in the future to the Mill building, equipment, machinery, employees and/or dam. Do you really think we, Weisenberger Mill, will just sit back and not demand reasonable answers?” In capital letters, he added, “We have a business to protect!”

He also wrote, “We have been frustrated beyond belief throughout this project. . . . Everyone who utilizes the bridge is totally frustrated with the delays of this project.”

The process of replacing the one-lane bridge has stirred controversy and undergone several changes. The state’s first plan was for a two-lane bridge, but changed that to one lane after the public voiced concerns that would detract from the scenic, historical site and cause accidents in the sharp curve on the Woodford County side of Weisenberger Mill Road.

The design of the bridge, and the delay in replacing it, have sparked much debate. Since the bridge has historical significance and would be replaced by the state, the project had to undergo review by the State Historic Preservation Office and the Kentucky Heritage Council, as well as an environmental impact report to federal officials, all of which have pushed back construction, which is expected to take six to nine months.

Mapquest map, adapted, shows how the bridge closure has isolated Zion Hill.

Last year, state officials said they expected construction in 2020, but said there was a chance it could be done in 2019. They put it in the April 26 bid letting, with a tentative advertisement date of Saturday, April 6, and a deadline of April 3 to be in the ad. Then they moved it to the May 24 letting, but the Weisenberger easement wasn't ready in time, so the project now set for letting June 21.

"I’m optimistic that the project is moving forward and will not see any further delays," said Magistrate Liles Taylor, who represents the Midway area on Fiscal Court.

The bridge closure has complicated access for residents of Zion Hill, a largely African American community at the southern tip of Scott County. Woodford County has been providing emergency services to the area.