Columbia Public Works looks at new bridge maintenance schedule

A new study from a University of Missouri professor outlines a schedule for Columbia Public Works to maintain its bridges.

ABC 17 News reported in January 2016 when Public Works asked Dr. Glenn Washer to inspect the city’s bridges and develop a list of the best ways to keep the bridges in good shape.

Washer’s report, obtained by ABC 17 News through an open records request, outlines how often the city can do preventative maintenance on the 29 bridges and 9 culverts in Columbia. That work includes cleaning the bridge of vines and weeds, washing parts of the bridge or sealing cracks that develop along the concrete.

Public Works will have to figure out how to work Washer’s recommendations into their schedules, said Richard Stone, engineering manager for the department. The report will help them take a “methodical” approach to maintaining bridges. Right now, staff perform work like bridge cleaning and washing when time allows. Public Works has 44 workers in its Street Division to do work like fixing potholes and mow city-owned land. Staff will need to find a way to make the bridge inspections a part of their day.

“We’re going to have to figure out where to do it and when to do it, but there are some recommendations from Dr. Washer that we’re going to follow the best we can,” Stone told ABC 17 News.

Washer recommended starting right away some preventative maintenance on bridges in good condition or better. More than 70 percent of the structures were rated as such, according to the report. Washer suggested the city move as soon as possible on sealing cracks in the bare concrete decks to stop water and other chemicals from affecting the steel within. The report also recommends cleaning the bridges and washing the metal structures once a year.

Public Works tries to wash the whole bridge structure after each winter, Stone said. The city uses salt to deice its roads, which can cause metal structures in bridges to fall apart quicker if they slip through cracks in the road.

Stone said that right now, Columbia Public Works does not perform any crack or deck sealing. He said he hoped Washer’s report would give them a good idea of which sealing method and material to use.

“Essentially, it would remain unattended until some sort of something would develop and we’d have to fix the bridge,” Stone said of Public Works’ current practice. “So what we’re trying to do is get ahead of that with preventative maintenance.”

Public Works will begin repairing the pavement at Creasy Springs Bridge this summer. A project originally planned for the winter, Stone said the bridge required more involved work than originally thought. The deck currently sports two metal plates covering holes that have developed on the road. The span sees constant traffic from large trucks heading to and from the Boone Quarries.

Mary Sapp lives next to the bridge. She said she’s grown weary of the bump on the road caused by the plates. That’s causing some unsafe driving habits of those that pass by.

“They make it so rough that cars go around it in the other lane,” Sapp said. “And that is an especial hazard here because we’re at the base of a large hill with a curve on it.”

Stone said the city will also perform major fixes to the Ridgemont Bridge and East Walnut Street bridge this winter.