Blanton, others concerned about restriction on bridges

"The bridge is not dangerous, but is a safety concern. Therefore, INDOT must take immediate action to help preserve this bridge," INDOT Vincennes District Assistant Commissioner Troy Woodruff wrote in a Dec. 23 letter to the Greene County Commissioners, Greene County Highway Department Superintendent Mike Hennette and District 60 State Rep. Sandy Blanton (D-Paoli).

He said the weight restriction would not affect school buses or emergency vehicles.

"We do ask that when emergency vehicles (fire trucks) must use the bridge they slow down to 5-10 miles per hour and allow one vehicle to cross at a time."

Woodruff also pointed out that "vehicles that are not oversized or overweight are still able to use the roadway.

The INDOT spokesman said the state has plans to replace both bridges in early 2013, but felt the condition of the bridges warranted more immediate action -- such as the weight restriction.

"These bridges are considered historical and INDOT must take in consideration all preventive measures," Woodruff stressed.

Engineers in the Vincennes District are working on an action plan to remove the current weight restriction.

"INDOT is planning to place temporary signals on each bridge and restrict traffic to one lane. This resolution should take place sometime in January," Woodruff stated.

Hennette said word of the weight restriction came as a surprise to him.

"They (INDOT) put the signs up and that is all we knew," he said.

Hennette said he has concerns about the closure especially if it forces large truck traffic onto county roads as a detour.

The county road superintendent addressed his concern to INDOT officials through Rep. Blanton.

"We were concerned that maybe the restriction was not going to let semis cross it (the bridges). We obviously didn't want all of that heavier truck traffic on our county roads. Let's face it, we don't have that great of county roads, but we don't have that bad of county roads either, but we definitely don't want to tear up what we got. We were concerned to the point that we asked the state (highway department) if they were going to do something where they were going to block the road or force traffic around on these county roads, if they would reimburse us. They declined that."

Woodruff explained in his letter that since the state's action is not a closure, and only a weight restriction, INDOT would not be reimbursing the state for any damage to county roads.

"INDOT will only reimburse local governments when there is a road closure for a minimum of seven consecutive days," he said.

Rep. Blanton says she was contacted by Hennette and other local government officials concerning the unexpected weight limit restrictions on the two bridges.

Rep. Blanton is upset with the way the weight restriction was imposed on the county.

"These restrictions were imposed without any prior notice or conversations with either myself or local officials. I immediately contacted the state office of INDOT and our Vincennes district office to express concerns about the serious impact of these arbitrary weight restrictions to the county and the local residents who have to use these bridges on a daily basis," Rep. Blanton explained.

The county road boss says he believes the bridges are safe to cross, if the state's study is correct.

"They (INDOT) say the integrity of the bridges is being looked at," Hennette said.

Hennette pointed out that having a viable means of transportation over the east fork of the White River is key.

"It's a major concern because we only have three arteries across the river -- Worthington, Bloomfield and Newberry. When you mess with them, then there are other concerns you have to think about. You obviously have to think about the safety of school kids and emergency vehicles. That's something you really have to look at," Hennette said.