WESTON – Franklin County closed one of the bridges spanning the Bear River in November due to cracks found by an inspection team. The bridge is between Fairview and Weston at W. 3600 South.
While to some it may not be a big deal, but for Van Woodward, owner of Woodward’s Country Store in Weston, it has already hit his bottom line.
“Of course, the bridge being out will affect our business,” he said. “But there is not much we can do about it.”
Woodward understands there is no one to blame.
“It’s not anyone’s fault it was damaged and had to be closed,” he said. “It hurts people coming from Fairview or Lewiston to the store. They will go to Preston instead of going the long way to get here.”
The last few years bridge inspectors have noted signs of decay and corrosion. After a November inspection they contacted Franklin County about the crack they found and suggested they close the bridge.
Travel from Fairview to Weston has stopped due to the bridge connecting the two towns is closed until a new bridge can be constructed.
Troy Moser, the director of the Road and Bridge Department for Franklin County, said they put up signs directing motorists to alternative bridges, one on North Hwy 36 from Preston to Dayton and the other South Hwy 61 from Lewiston to Cornish.
“The grant process was done before the bridge was closed,” Moser said. “The state has a private contractor who inspects the bridge.”
Scott Wood, an engineer for Local Highway Technical Assistance Council (LHTAC), said in 2002 then-Governor Dirk Kempthorne set aside $546 million for bridge repair.
“Franklin County applied for the grant and got it,” Wood said. “Cannon Builders Inc. from Blackfoot was awarded the contract for building the bridge.”
The cost of construction is $4.2 million but Wood expects it to cost closer to $5 million by the time they add design and engineering.
“The bridge will be a single steel span bridge that will clear the river with a length of 190 feet,” Wood said. “There will be no piers in the water.”
The damaged bridge was built in 1956.
“We give flexibility with the contractor for when they start construction; we give them a window as to when they begin,” he said. “We expect them to start late October or early November 2025. Sometimes it has to do with environmental concerns.”
It is estimated to take 76 working days Monday through Friday to build the bridge barring any unseen problems. Sometimes, construction work runs into issues that may prolong construction of the bridge.
“During our last inspection we categorized the condition as serious and technically it doesn’t get worse than that,” Wood said. “As we found the crack we notified the county and they closed the bridge.”
Wood said the state is working on 221 bridges in the state. The city of Franklin is replacing one of their bridges over the Cub River. They just put it out for bid.