Insurer about ready to settle after bridge collapse
By BENJAMIN SHARP news@leader-news.com

It's expected to cost $130,000 to replace a county bridge that collapsed beneath an overweight truck. But county officials likely won't pay a dime of that cost.

Precinct 2 Commissioner Chris King said he hopes to have an agreement with an insurance company for the bridge replacement by next Tuesday.

Commissioners court will meet Tuesday in a special session. The damaged bridge has been placed on the agenda.

"I'm hoping we can come to terms on that by the meeting," King said.

The bridge, on CR 235 above Peach Creek, was damaged on Oct. 10. A crane from North Houston Pole Co. drove over the wooden bridge and collapsed a portion of it.

Law enforcement officials later ticketed the driver for not heeding a posted bridge weight limit. That limit was 12,500 pounds. The crane reportedly weighed 170,000 pounds.

Though rebuilt in 1992, the wooden bridge was unable to stand up to such an overload. One side of it crumbled and fell into the creek.

What has remained standing is unstable as well, Commissioner King said.

"The timbers that didn't break are probably split (from) the shock of that kind of weight," King said. "It's not repairable."

Barricades have remained in place since the collapse. A 1-mile stretch of CR 235 has also been closed, between CR 222 and CR 220. King said it has luckily not been too much of an inconvenience for motorists and residents who travel that road.

"There's good access roads on either side" of the blockade, he said.

Though the bridge was wooden, the replacement will likely be steel and concrete. King said wooden bridges are becoming a rarity, with the durability of steel being much preferred.

Current Texas Department of Transportation regulations also make it difficult to have a properly constructed wooden bridge, he said.

"I would not build a wooden bridge today under TxDOT supervision. Their requirements are too demanding," he said. "And we've never had a problem with one (of the steel bridges)."

The cost difference between wood bridges and steel ones is only "marginal," he added. Plus, King says he's in a good position to contribute to the cause.

"I have a number of steel beams that would be adequate for that bridge and would help offset the cost," he said.

Ultimately, though, it's up to the insurance company to decide what kind of bridge gets rebuilt. King said he will support either.

Also on Tuesday, the commissioners court will consider the following:

• Authorize payment for repairs to the Hungerford weigh station scales. King said the scales "broke again" and may have to be replaced. The station, operated by the Department of Public Safety, is owned by the county. It has been plagued with problems, including getting hit by lightning two times in the past.

• Authorize County Judge John Murrile to sign a resolution for the 2008 Indigent Defense Grant Program.

• Authorize the purchase of aerial photographs of countyowned property.

• Adopt a proclamation deeming a "Drug Free Day" in Louise ISD.