The city of Athens plans to rebuild the bridge on Carriage Hill Drive in 2011 but has yet to inform the manager of Carriage Hill Apartments that it will close off the complex's sole exit.
Kay Dotson said she was surprised to hear about the future reconstruction of Carriage Hill Bridge. There isn't any other way up here or down
she said.
The bridge is located off Richland Avenue near the intersection of U.S. Routes 33, 50 and 32.
The Ohio Department of Transportation ranked Carriage Hill Bridge as a three out of nine, said Andy Stone, director of Athens' Engineering and Public Works.
Any bridge ranked lower than a four out of nine is classified as structurally deficient according to the department's website. This classification does not imply that a bridge is unsafe but means that its condition should be monitored for repair, according to the site.
It needs to be replaced within one year said David Rose, the public information officer for the Department of Transportation's 10th district. If a bridge is classified as a two, it is closed to traffic, he said.
The city of Athens will actually benefit monetarily from the bridge repair.
The reconstruction will cost between $150,000 and $200,000, Stone said. The cost of the rebuild will count toward a federal credit program that awards money to cities based on how much the city spends on repairs, he said.
For example, the federal government gave Athens $2 million for the repairs on Richland Avenue because the city earmarked $500,000 for the project, Stone said.
Although the bridge needs to be rebuilt, it is not an emergency.
It's in a condition that warrants repairs
Stone said, later saying the project was not imminent because it is not yet falling apart.
Some of the metal strands within the bridge's support beams have broken, and since the beams and the roadway it supports are one structure, the entire bridge must be replaced, he said.
It's going to be tricky. That is the only entrance for people who live there
Stone said.
Carriage Hill Apartments is located at 115 Carriage Hill Dr. and has 366 apartments, ranging from one to three bedrooms.
Dotson said about 98 percent of the apartments are currently occupied.
I think as long as (residents) have access to Richland Avenue ... they will be perfectly fine (with the construction)
Dotson said.
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Caitlin Bowling
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