By Deb Kroon
Review staff writer
In a two year rotation, every bridge in Nobles County is examined by the crew of the Nobles County Public Works Department to be sure that all of the bridges stay up to safety codes. The bridge that crosses over the Kanaranzi Creek along County Highway 19 in Westside Township, or 4 miles west and about 1 1/2 miles south of Adrian, has been on the radar of the Public Works Dept. for quite a number of years. Within the last year, the County engineers have deemed the wood pilings have deteriorated enough to post weight restrictions on the bridge. According to County Commissioner Gene Metz, nothing heavier than a school bus, or an empty farm truck is legally able to cross this bridge. “This is a critical route for southwestern Nobles County,” he stated. “This is the only blacktop road that runs north and south to the west of MN 91. There is lots of agriculture activity as well as the gravel pit that use this road.”
The bridge has been posted at a maximum of 16 tons. Any vehicle that is over that weight is illegal to cross the bridge. “If you are crossing the bridge illegally, and the bridge goes down, you will not only lose your vehicle, but you could be held liable for the bridge,” stated Metz. “The County has an engineering firm looking into the bridge. We are waiting on their report. Also, there are state funds available to help with projects such as this, but we have all of 2019 funds spoken for. We can get up to 40% of the cost of the repair done by state funding, but we will have to wait until the bonding is done for 2020.”
Besides funding, there are other factors to figure into the time scale, such as the “Topeka Shiner”. “Because of the Shiner, it would be the middle of August before the County could get started, and that doesn’t leave a lot of time. “If we could start this year, it would be the middle of next summer before the bridge would be finished. If we can’t start this year, it will be one year later,” said Metz.
If the engineering firm determines that the bridge can be rebuilt using boxed concrete culverts, the repairs to the bridge would be accomplished faster than if they determine the whole bridge needs to be rebuilt. Realistically, it could be about five years before the project is completed. Things are on hold for now.
