Daily Newsletters
Account
Washington Evening Journal
111 North Marion Avenue
Washington, IA 52353
319-653-2191
Libertyville Road bridge nearing completion, but opening could be months away
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
LIBERTYVILLE – The new bridge over Big Cedar Creek between Fairfield and Libertyville is nearly complete, but the road could still be months away from opening.
Jefferson County Engineer DeWayne Heintz said Monday the bridge is “95 percent done dollar-wise.” However, the contractor still needs to reduce the grade on Libertyville Road approaching the bridge from the east, since it’s currently a 10 percent decline that will be changed to 7-8 percent.
Iowa Bridge & Culvert of Washington won the bid to rebuild the bridge last year for about $2 million, with $1.5 million coming from federal grants and the rest coming from state grants, none of it coming from the county’s budget. Heintz said relying on federal dollars entails complying with federal regulations, such as investigating whether the construction would damage historically significant sites or harm endangered or threatened species.
“You don’t mess with federal law on a federally funded project,” he said.
The county’s contract with Iowa Bridge & Culvert says the company has until the end of October 2025 to finish the project. When Libertyville Road was closed in late October 2024, the closure was expected to last seven months.
The bridge is just east of the entrance to Fairfield Quarry, and Heintz told The Union that it needed to be replaced because it was “just plain worn out.” It was built in the 1950s and had reached the typical lifespan of a bridge.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
