But locals who use the bridge on Metro Avenue, between 190th and 198th streets will appreciate the repairs.

Flooding of Stranger Creek in October damaged the bridge, which, according to nearby resident George Sprague, was built in 1916.

It’s a steel bridge with a floor of wooden planks and wooden side rails.

Bill Green, Leavenworth County’s engineer, said that last week workers replaced some planks on the bridge floor.

This week, he plans to have metal guardrail installed to replace the wooden sides. And, Green said, he’ll keep the weight limit posted at four tons. Until repairs are completed, the bridge will remain closed.

“It’s unsafe right now,” Green said Monday.

After the flood damage caused the bridge to be closed in October, Jim Owens, who farms in the area, said he hoped the county would repair the bridge, rather than tear it down.

“I don’t use it every day, but I use it a lot in the summer,” Owens said. “It’s a good bridge and it’s probably sounder than they think it is, weight-wise.”

For residents in the southern Leavenworth County neighborhood, the bridge is a known shortcut. And, it’s the last wooden bridge in the county that’s still in use.

“It’s a heck of a landmark,” Owens said, noting there used to be a water-powered mill just south of the bridge.

The Oct. 2 flood also damaged a bridge on County Road 5, near Stranger Creek. Green said repairs on that bridge also would be completed this week.