COLUMBUS, Ind. – The Bartholomew County Commissioners met Tuesday morning and Indianapolis-based United Consulting reported on its recently concluded inspection of county bridges. United’s Joshua Gonya said that Bartholomew County had more bridges than most counties, but on average, they were younger.
He reported that the number of bridges needing work was about the same as in the past several years. Commissioner Carl Lienhoop asked Gonya what the biggest detriment to Indiana bridges was and he replied that water is the biggest culprit.
The county highway department will prioritize the work to be done. Bartholomew County has a total of 203 bridges, excluding those under the purview of the state and federal governments.
Gonya also mentioned that, per new Indiana Department of Transportation rules starting in 2022, counties can now apply for an inspection frequency of 48 months rather than the current 24 months.