Plans Finalized For Replacing Elmore Town Road Bridge

Plans to replace the Elmore Town Road Bridge in Baxter will moving forward in the near future.

John Martin is Mayor of the Baxter.

“Everything is finalized, as far as our land acquisition and core drilling,” Martin said. “Only thing we are waiting for is final approval from the state. As soon as we get that letter back we are ready to start. As soon as we get that back we are ready to order the bridge and build it.”

Martin said the bridge was built in the 1970’s and over the years it started to become a safety concern.

“School buses cross this bridge, the bridge is very narrow, and it’s in great need of repair,” Martin said. “It’s a bid deal. There’s probably 75 houses around that road so it’s really a need.”

The board of mayor and aldermen decided to take up the project a few years ago, but funding issues caused a delay in the project. The city will be using state aid bridge funding and $17,000 appropriated by the county some 8 to 10 years ago.

“We’re already in the process of paying bills on engineering fees and we are ready to go once the state gives approval,” Martin said.

Martin said he hopes to begin the project before the new year. He said the whole project, which will be performed by the city crews, will take about two weeks to complete.