County Road Superintendent Steve Stangland said Thursday that during a recent road inspection a county road crew discovered a hole had developed in the deck of the bridge on Witter Springs Road, crossing Dayle Creek.
The small, single-lane bridge is a wooden structure, and is at least 55 years old, Stangland said.
As a result of discovering the hole, Public Works closed Witter Springs Road to all traffic two miles north of Highway 20 at the bridge, effective immediately.
Traffic will be detoured on East Road to Bachelor Valley Road and back to Witter Springs Road in order to avoid the bridge area, Stangland reported.
He said signs have been posted at the intersection of Witter Springs and East roads to warn drivers.
“We're trying to do everything we can so nobody gets caught off guard,” he added.
Stangland said the road around the bridge will be closed for quite a while as the roads department considers its options: fixing the bridge or completely replacing it.
Right now they're pricing repairs and will weigh those estimates against full replacement, he explained.
Part of the decision also will rest on the looking at hydrology reports, said Stangland. “It may be that the structure is undersized just for the creek channel.”
The road closure remains in effect until further notice, Public Works reported.
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