Northern Part Of County Mired In Decade Of Detours Due To Bridges

Elizabeth Bailey

For more than a decade, Bridges 18 and 19 in Adams Township have hindered access to the area between St. Omer and Downeyville.

Both bridges are steel structures spanning the Flat Rock River that were constructed in the early 1900’s, requiring a strict - and time-intensive - process before they can be repaired or replaced.

Bridge 18 has remained open while being an active project for the past 15 years. However, it is a single-lane bridge with a low-weight capacity. Bridge 19 has been closed for many years and is blocked at both ends with concrete barricades, denying travelers the option of crossing the river at that point.

In September of 2007, a meeting was held that included representatives of federal and state agencies. In that meeting, it was stated that a memorandum of agreement for Bridge 19 was nearly finished that would bind together the Federal Highway Administration, Indiana Department of Transportation, the Decatur County Commissioners and the State Historic Preservation Officer in order to move the process forward. In October of 2009, the same sort of document was signed for Bridge 18.

In the last part of 2009, Ron May, an engineer with Aecon who consults with the county on bridges, informed the commissioners that Bridge 19 was approaching the date when the project can be put up for letting. With the signing of documents for Bridge 18, such a process can also get underway for that structure.

In recent years, a large number of discussions have been held about the fate of the pair of structures, and despite progress on paperwork, the problem has remained for those needing to travel to or through that area of the county. With a lower population than incorporated towns and cities, the largest concern in past discussion has been the difficulty of transporting grain and other agriculture-related items. However, last week’s fire at Star Lumber on County Road 650 North brought a new issue to the fore. Not only is Bridge 18 not suited for grain wagons, it is also ill-suited to fire trucks.

After the fire was reported at Star Lumber, it took first responders approximately 15 minutes to reach the scene from St. Paul, which sits only three miles away as the crow flies. Had both bridges been in service and capable of handling the large vehicles, this time could have been decreased. First responders from St. Paul would have been able to cross I-74 using County Road 650 North and drop directly south to the site of Star Baptist Church and Star Lumber. The other bridge - located along County Road 400 West - would have offered a second option without taking firefighters and other responders out of their way.

With Bridge 19 closed and Bridge 18 inadequate, the next option to cross over I-74 for access to the scene was County Road 420 West just north of Adams. This required travel southward on Old U.S. 421 before heading back north to the site of the fire.

Unfortunately, there are no better travel options until work is completed on at least one of the bridges. For Bridge 19, an important step is expected in August, when the project is scheduled to be awarded to a contractor, according to the Indiana Department of Transportation letting schedule for 2010. Bridge 18 should follow suit, as it is scheduled for letting in October. With many years of work completed, area residents can expect this decade to show the fruits of the past decade’s labor.

Text Only