By COLE REIF
Great Bend Post
Residents in northeast Barton County notified the county’s road and
bridge department of a failing bridge deck located on Northeast 70 Road,
crossing Cow Creek.
Barton County Engineer Barry McManaman examined the bridge and determined the
bridge needed to be replaced.
At Wednesday’s Barton County Commission meeting, Commissioner Kirby Krier said
there were holes in the bridge.
"They could see all the way down to the water," said Krier. "It's a metal bridge that county workers actually built. The decking is made of metal. There's nothing wrong with that, but it wore out over time. A lot of trucks run across that particular bridge."
Two bids were received, with L&M Contractors of Great Bend having the low bid
of $168,697.50. Matt Patzner, Operations Director, said the other bid was
approximately $30,000 higher than L&M’s bid.