Construction efforts under way on Pleasant Street bridge work
The Pleasant Street bridge will be off limits for at least two weeks, according to Tonganoxie City Administrator Mike Yanez.
Crews started Monday with the project, which will replace the former deck with a new one to accommodate heavier loads of traffic. Yanez said step one involves removing the bridge’s existing deck. Workers include officials from the Tonganoxie Public Works Department and Meadows Construction.
“That will allow for all routine traffic to use the bridge,” Yanez said, “until an entirely new bridge can be constructed.”
The bridge will closed to traffic for two to four weeks “dependent upon weather conditions and construction progress,” Yanez said.
The project carries price tag of less than $35,000, Yanez said, with money from the city’s reserve fund.
“Obviously this snuck up on us and it has enough community significance to get that bridge open for all types of traffic, including school buses, emergency vehicles and garbage trucks,” Yanez said.
A recent inspection revealed that the bridge was not up to standards to handle larger vehicles. A 5-ton weight limit was put on the bridge after the inspection, meaning some vehicles, such as emergency trucks from the Tonganoxie City Fire Department would need to find alternate routes.
Public works officials are doing much of the work, with Meadows Construction handling heavy equipment issues.
According to BG Consultants, the city’s engineering firm, bridge work should have about five to seven years of longevity before a permanent bridge will need to be built.
“By that time, we hope to have received approval of federal funds that would pay 80 percent of a new bridge,” Yanez said.
Fencework continues
on Chieftain Trail
Retaining walls along Chieftain Trail, which connects downtown Tonganoxie to Chieftain Park, are being topped with decorative wrought iron fencing. The work is one of the final touches to the project, which a Kansas Department of Transportation grant primarily is funding.
KDOT is paying for 80 percent of the roughly $336,000 project, which amounts to about $268,800, according to Yanez. The city is responsible for roughly $67,200.