Clay County gets a wide modern bridge over Eel Creek courtesy of the Indiana Department of Transportation. And Brown County takes possession of the old two-span steel through-truss bridge, which will be reused on the under-construction Salt Creek Trail.
The repurposing of the historic Ind. 46 bridge near Center Point, built in 1933 and supported by concrete abutments and a center pier, also saves Brown County trail supporters about a million dollars.
Volunteers have worked 12 years to construct a 3.7-mile Nashville-area walkway, and the cost of two bridges to span Salt Creek was estimated at more than $900,000.
Tom Tuley from the Salt Creek Trail Committee was elated when he heard the bridge news. The group has money to develop the next portion of the trail, but the project is on hold until the Eel Creek bridge gets dismantled, which may not happen until 2017.
“We have the money to do the trail there, but since we will have to wait on the bridge, we are letting the money stay in the bank to get some investment return right now,” Tuley said. “Having those bridges means there's a million dollars we don't have to raise.”
© 2024 HeraldTimesOnline, Bloomington, IN