Marksville launches bridge repair program

Decades of neglect have resulted in several bridges in Marksville being deemed unsafe for traffic.  Four bridges were closed until repairs can be made. Others may join that list -- or, at the very least, a “priority repair” list -- as city officials strive to make up for lost time in the area of bridge maintenance and repairs.

 

“These bridges have been neglected for 25 to 30 years,” Mayor John Lemoine said. “Some are in deplorable condition. We have closed some on the recommendation of our state-certified bridge inspector, who advised us that they were no longer safe. We are inspecting all of the bridges and are awaiting a final report to determine if more will have to be closed.”

 

The bridges closed so far have been Tarleton Street, Borrel Street, S. Washington St. and Foster Street.

 

The council authorized up to $75,000 for emergency bridge repairs at its April 8 meeting.

 

Lemoine apologized to citizens for the inconvenience caused by the bridge closures, and in advance for closures that will be necessary to make needed repairs to bridges that were not deemed so unsafe as to require immediate closure.

 

“First and foremost, it’s all about safety,” Lemoine said.

 

The mayor said it has been up to 30 years since a comprehensive inspection was done on all of the city’s bridges. Earlier this year, some bridges were inspected.

 

“When we found one bridge was unsafe, we decided it was time to check all of the bridges,” Lemoine said. 

 

The result was more shocking than surprising, when two more were immediately found to be substandard. A fourth was closed a few days after the mid-month deluge that flooded several areas in the city. The inspections were expected to be finished by the end of this past week, and a final tally of “unsafe” and “in need of repair” recommendation was to be prepared for the council to study.

 

Besides having to take detours due to the bridge closures, some residents were having garbage service disrupted.

 

Police Jury President Charles Jones said Progressive garbage trucks were being told they could not cross some bridges in Marksville because the trucks exceed the recommended weight limit.

 

“I got on that job the first thing and spoke to Progressive about how to resolve the problem,” Jones said. “They agreed to use satellite trucks (smaller vehicles) to serve those residents, so nobody will miss their garbage service due to a weight limit issue on a bridge.”

 

Jones said the parish is “struggling with the same issue of timber bridges. We will work with any of the municipalities to look at options to find a long-term solution to this problem.”

 

Jones said the Police Jury “will do everything we can to help” Marksville and other municipalities.

 

“I know the Police Jury’s plate is full right now,” Lemoine said, “and I do thank them for being willing to help us.”

 

Once the inspections are completed and a report outlining the necessary repairs and costs is submitted, Lemoine said he and the City Council will develop a “bridge priority repair schedule.”

 

First priority is to repair the four closed bridges. After that, he said, the city will make repairs starting with the bridges in the worst condition. The city will also look at the costs of such a program.

 

City officials echoed parish officials confessions that they overlooked the bridges while they dealt with other issues. They also followed jurors’ example by vowing it will never happen again.