By Krista Duhon

news@joplinglobe.com

MIAMI, Okla. — An Ottawa County commissioner recently ordered the closure of the Beaver Creek Bridge on County Road 630. That bridge, about 60 feet long, lies between county roads East 60 and East 57.

District 1 Commissioner John Clarke, who also serves as commission chairman, issued the order Monday after learning that state-contracted engineers were going to recommend immediate closure of the single-lane bridge.

Clarke identified the problem as: “Significant deterioration of the lower cords of the support structure of the bridge. Lower cords are the beams that carry most of the load-bearing responsibility of the bridge.”

School bus traffic was rerouted a week earlier and Clarke initially said he had hoped to just lower the weight limit and keep the bridge open until it could be replaced, but following the state engineering recommendation, he decided to close it.

Replacement of the Beaver Creek Bridge has long been a priority for the county, according to Clarke.

“It’s near the Quapaw Tribal Grounds,” Clarke said. “It will be closed through construction of the new bridge, which I hope will be completed within nine months, depending on how quick we can make the next ODOT (Oklahoma Department of Transportation) bid letting.”

The county had been waiting on state-mandated environmental studies of the site before proceeding with bridge replacement, and with the recent completion of those studies, demolition of the old bridge and work on the new bridge can begin, Clarke said. The county is also finishing the last of the right-of way-acquisitions, he said.

Raising the bridge

Ottawa County Commission Chairman John Clarke said he does not believe the closure of the Beaver Creek Bridge on County Road 630 will cause too much of an inconvenience, as detour routes are nearby.

“The new bridge design will raise the deck about 11 feet and bring the bridge out off the flood plain,” Clarke also said, noting that the existing bridge is among the first in his district to close during times of flooding.