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| The bridge is a scenic, historic spot due to the mill, built in 1913 on the site of an 1865 mill, and its dam on South Elkhorn Creek. |
The only bid for construction of a new Weisenberger Mill Bridge was almost three times the engineers' estimate, raising the possibility that the bid will be rejected and the project further delayed. The bridge will have been been closed for three years as of next Monday.
The bid by Louisville Paving Co. was $1.95 million, 2¾ times the estimate of $709,889. The Awards Committee of the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet is scheduled to consider the bid and others from Friday's bid letting at 9:30 a.m. Friday. (The meeting is exempt from the state Open Meetings Act.)
Woodford County Judge-Executive James Kay told the Midway Messenger that his office had heard from Kelly Baker, the chief engineer at the cabinet's District 7 office in Lexington, "that the bid may have been a mistake." District 7 spokeswoman Natasha Lacy said in an email that Baker "has not talked with Judge Kay about this. In addition, there was no error." Kay said in an email, "Magistrate Jackie Brown spoke with Kelly Baker and relayed that info to me."
Brown told the Messenger Tuesday evening that Baker told him Louisville Paving bid on foundation work they would not have to do, and expects a rebid would be much nearer to the engineers’ estimate.
Told that, Lacy sent an email Wednesday saying, "The existing abutments are being left in place for the project. The design calls for placing a soil-nail wall around the abutments . . . to sufficiently protect and strengthen them. If the bid is rejected, we will discuss the possibility of separating out this part of the project. It then [could] be completed through maintenance agreements that we have in place. The remainder of work for the bridge would be placed back out for bid."
The bridge across South Elkhorn Creek, the border of Woodford and Scott counties, is nominally Woodford's responsibility, under a longstanding agreement between the counties, but the state agreed to take responsibility for it several years ago.
The state closed the bridge on July 1, 2016, after inspectors found it was not safe for a load of three tons. The state had already lowered the limit twice in an effort to turn away heavy trucks whose drivers used the bridge, apparently following Global Positioning System directions for a shortcut to or from Interstate 64, using Paynes Depot Road and perhaps Big Sink Road.
The state could ask the county to share in the unexpectedly high construction cost, but Kay said he doubted that the Fiscal Court would be willing to do that, even with a contribution from Scott County.
Magistrate Liles Taylor, who represents the Midway area on Fiscal Court, said he expects the state to keep its commitment to replace the bridge, and said the top concern must be public safety, but "Everything's on the table."
The bridge's closure has further isolated the largely African American community of Zion Hill, at the southern tip of Scott County. Woodford County has been providing emergency services to the area.
Replacing the one-lane span, built in the early 1930s, has been complicated. The first plan was for a two-lane bridge, but the cabinet changed it to one lane, with the pony-truss style of the old bridge, to assuage public concern that a modern concrete span would detract from the scenic nature of the site and encourage speeding, causing accidents in the sharp curve on the Woodford County side.
Since the bridge has historical significance and is a state responsibility, 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. The project was delayed at least a month by negotiations over construction easements.
The state closed the bridge on July 1, 2016, after inspectors found it was not safe for a load of three tons. The state had already lowered the limit twice in an effort to turn away heavy trucks whose drivers used the bridge, apparently following Global Positioning System directions for a shortcut to or from Interstate 64, using Paynes Depot Road and perhaps Big Sink Road.
The state could ask the county to share in the unexpectedly high construction cost, but Kay said he doubted that the Fiscal Court would be willing to do that, even with a contribution from Scott County.
Magistrate Liles Taylor, who represents the Midway area on Fiscal Court, said he expects the state to keep its commitment to replace the bridge, and said the top concern must be public safety, but "Everything's on the table."
The bridge's closure has further isolated the largely African American community of Zion Hill, at the southern tip of Scott County. Woodford County has been providing emergency services to the area.
Since the bridge has historical significance and is a state responsibility, 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. The project was delayed at least a month by negotiations over construction easements.
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