Jefferson County Engineer to investigate options for Grasstree Avenue bridge

FAIRFIELD — A couple of Jefferson County residents rebuffed a proposal to place a “low water crossing” sign on a gravel road instead of replacing the aging bridge on it.

Jefferson County Engineer DeWayne Heintz addressed the board of supervisors Monday, March 2 about a bridge on Grasstree Avenue just south of Libertyville. Heintz said inspections of the bridge have reduced its weight limit down to 6 tons, acceptable for a pick-up but not for some farm implements. The bridge is made of wood pilings that are getting old, but replacing the bridge would be costly, about $800,000, even higher than the engineer’s estimate of $600,000.

Heintz suggested that the county could post a “low water crossing” sign on the road if the supervisors did not want to pay for a new bridge. Supervisor Joe Ledger did not like the idea.

“It’s just going to take one drowning and a lawyer, and there’s going to be a problem,” he said.

Supervisor Susie Drish agreed.

“I’ve seen photos of a car on 227th floating 100 feet down the stream, and we can’t have that,” she said.

Eric Tedrow and Mike D. Royer are two residents who live on that road, and they attended Monday’s supervisor meeting. Royer said a number of farmers in the area have used that road, but now they’re having to take longer detours around it. Tedrow said it would be nice to have a new bridge, especially a wider one so he wouldn’t have to remove the corn head from his combine harvester.

Tedrow and Royer said they did not want the county to replace the bridge with tank cars like the county did at other water crossings a few years ago, because those tank cars got washed away. Heintz said it’s true that just before he assumed his role in the summer of 2021, a 9-inch rain washed away two double-tank car installations. However, he said those tank cars washed away because the county had not reinforced them with head walls, a special barrier to prevent washouts, and ever since the county began installing head walls with its tank cars, it has not had any more washouts.

Heintz said tank cars are a much more economical solution compared to building a new bridge, saying a double-tank car installation costs $60,000 compared to $500,000 for a new bridge.

The supervisors did not take any action on the Grasstree Avenue bridge, and asked the county engineer to look into options besides a low water crossing sign.

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Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com