Bridge plank breaks; 120th Street closed north of Stockport

STOCKPORT ? A portion of 120th Street between Spruce and Timber avenues north of Stockport has been closed due to a problem with a small truss bridge.

According to Van Buren County Engineer Dave Barrett, a wooden plank on the bridge broke and the bridge shifted substantially rendering it unsafe to cross.

The bridge is scheduled for replacement early next year. Plans for replacing it with a reinforced concrete box culvert have been developed and a bid letting is scheduled for January. It is estimated that a bridge and culvert contractor could complete the work by late spring.

Until the bridge is replaced, this section of 120th Street will remain closed, said Barrett.

The Van Buren County Board of Supervisors also is considering closing a section of Eagle Drive along the Des Moines River near Farmington because of continuing erosion problems.

Barrett said the landslide now has grown from 800 feet to 1,200 feet.

The county received a $220,000 cost-share grant from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, but FEMA has now closed its books on Iowa flooding, and the county would have to make up for any additional costs on the contract it has with Cole Construction, Barrett said.

The Van Buren County supervisors will meet in regular session at 1 p.m. Monday on the second floor of the Van Buren County Courthouse in Keosauqua, with the primary business being discussion and possible action on the status of Eagle Drive.