Work to begin on county bridge soon: Repairs to MC 41 crossing are slated to start Aug. 19

TEXARKANA, Ark. - Miller County has received an in-kind grant to repair the bridge on MC 41 and work will begin Aug. 19.

Judge Cathy Hardin Harrison said the county received a Hazard Mitigation Grant from the state for the $245,000 project and that it would pay half the cost.

"After all the rain we had this spring, part of the road up to the bridge collapsed and needs to be replaced," she said.

She added that the county tried to find the hardpan for the bridge, but were not able to do so and that the state records showed that it goes down to 36 feet.

"It's costing more than normal because of the depth," Harrison said. "We applied for the grant a month and a half ago and just received word that we got the full amount."

The bridge will not be open to through traffic and people who live on the north side of 41 will need to access the road by using Highway 71. Once the month-long project is complete, the bridge will be 20 feet longer and three inches higher.

It is one of three bridges the county will replace, Harrison said. Those are on MC 43 and MC 80.

The repairs are needed because the bridges are old, she said, and the area underneath them is sandy and the soil has washed underneath the footings. The county has already reduced the weight limit on the bridge, she added.

Normally, the county would get bids for the project, but due to the need for the project to be completed quickly, the judge issued an emergency order for the work, which will be done by Allen Smith, LLC. Harrison said it has been 10 years since the county received a Hazard Mitigation Grant and that amount was for $80,000.

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