Bridgeport bridge slides off abutment

BRIDGE DANGER

We did measure it and it has fallen about 12 feet,” Hull said Wednesday. “There are stresses now on the trusses and definitely we know the issue of getting it out before a flood is much bigger now that it’s below the bank and blocking off part of the channel”

Ben Hull, Lee County Engineer

LEE COUNTY – The prediction of Lee County Engineer Ben Hull turned very prophetic as a portion of the Skunk River bridge near Bridgeport in the northwest part of the county collapsed Tuesday evening.
Hull had informed the Lee County Board of Supervisors Monday that he was engaging in emergency communications with Des Moines County as well as state and federal officials about the “imminent” danger of the bridge collapsing into the river.
On Wednesday, Hull was informed by a neighbor in the area that a large noise was heard Tuesday night at about 10:30 p.m. Wednesday morning it was discovered that the south abutment had collapsed.
“We did measure it and it has fallen about 12 feet,” Hull said Wednesday. “There are stresses now on the trusses and definitely we know the issue of getting it out before a flood is much bigger now that it’s below the bank and blocking off part of the channel.”
He said if one of the I-bars gives, the entire bridge will crash into the Skunk River. However, he didn’t know if the bridge would settle further, or collapse.
“I just don’t know. That’s uncertain and I had no idea how it would go if that south abutment failed. It could stay that way for a while, but it’s certainly a bigger issue now.”
The Army Corp of Engineers said the county could have a permit from their agency very shortly, Hull said, but he doesn’t have the same level of confidence in the Iowa Department of Natural Resources.
“I touched base with the Army Corp and they led me to believe we will have a permit in hand from them very shortly. They know about the situation and are working on it and told me to make all the preparations we need to make. I do not, however, have that level of understanding from the DNR and we’ve very much beholden to them on this.”
The DNR would have concerns about the structure and the river as a sovereign river in the state. Hull told the board there are also endangered species of mussels, snakes, and other animals to consider in the area.