Lengthy process begins to replace Unity Lane bridge

The lengthy process of replacing the century-old Unity Road bridge will start this fall with the selection of an engineering firm to do the preliminary design, environmental reviews and assorted other studies.
 Washington County Road and Bridge supervisor Arlen Wilkins said the first step is to advertise for an engineering firm through a request for qualifications. The project will be advertised for a couple of weeks and the selection of an engineering firm could happen by October.
 Actual replacement of Unity Road bridge east of Weiser is years away, possibly up to a decade, and will follow the replacement of Cove Road bridge, which is further along on the timeline of county bridges to replace and will cost about $4 million.
 Both the Unity bridge, which was constructed in 1910, and the Cove Road bridge are currently weight-restricted due to their age and condition. The Idaho Department of Transportation has inspected the structures and told the county to post signs near both bridges that limit the weight of trucks that can use them.
 Justin Walker, with the engineering firm Keller Associates, said the county has three options when it comes to selecting an engineering firm to do the preliminary design work. After discussing the options, commissioners decided to announce the project and go with the request for qualifications from firms.
 The preliminary scope of work for the first phase of the Unity Road bridge project will include the environment reviews, a study of the Weiser River hydraulics at the location, and a preliminary design that will include the suggested type of bridge, size and location.
 The county has a special bridge fund in the budget and commissioners put money in the fund every year to build it up for bridge projects. For fiscal year 2020, the fund will total $785,000. The county would have enough to pay for the preliminary work on the Unity Road bridge and then seek state and federal funds.
 Both Walker and Wilkins said that if the county can get some preliminary work out of the way, it would be in a better position to apply for state and federal bridge funds, especially competitive funding where many projects are seeking a limited amount of money.
 Wilkins said the county would have to pay for the preliminary scope of work, but it would have an advanced application that could go to near the front of the line for funding. The county can apply for bridge funding starting Jan. 1, 2020.
 “We could be a year ahead of any other bridge,” he said.
 The timeline for a major bridge replacement project is lengthy. The county started the initial process of replacing the Cove Road bridge in 2013 and actual construction on a new concrete bridge probably won’t happen until 2024, Wilkins said.
 Commissioner Nate Marvin played the role of devil’s advocate in the discussion and asked if it made more sense to spend millions on replacing the Unity Road bridge or spend the money fixing county roads. The county might want to hold a public hearing in the near future and get input from county residents on whether they want a new bridge or use the money elsewhere.
 It was noted by others that if the Unity Road bridge is not replaced, it could be a 10-mile detour for farmers with fields on both sides of the Weiser River. They would have to drive trucks and equipment five miles toward town to the Cove Road bridge, cross the Weiser River and then drive five miles back. The bridge is also a backup route across the Weiser River for traffic on U.S. Highway 95 if another bridge is unusable.