PURCELL, Mo. — Quaker Mill Bridge, west of Purcell, was closed Wednesday by the Missouri Department of Transportation because of safety issues.
Lori Marble, spokeswoman for the transportation department’s regional office in Joplin, said, “We did a routine bridge inspection and found some things we were not comfortable with. We’re bringing in a Jefferson City bridge crew to further evaluate.’’
Marble said the Jasper County Emergency Services Board and the Webb City School District were alerted about the bridge closure on Wednesday.
The closure, she said, is not connected to the recent flooding of the Spring River.
“We do routine inspections of all of our bridges. But because of its age, we do more frequent inspections of the Quaker Mill Bridge,’’ she said. “We expect the bridge crew will be here early next week.’’
The bridge, which spans 138 feet, was built in 1900.
The bridge, she said, might reopen next week but with greater weight restrictions than it has now. The bridge evaluation crew also might suggest that it remain closed.
The Route D bridge is heavily traveled, according to Gary Nelson, who heads the Jasper County Highway Department.
When high water from Spring River makes Highway O impassable south of Alba, “that was the higher road and you could still get through,” he said.
Water from Spring River was over the Quaker Mill bridge after heavy rains last week, he added.
The Quaker Mill Bridge is scheduled for repair or replacement as part of the “Safe and Sound’’ bridge program. A decision on the date for the bridge work is under consideration, said Marble.
The goal of the “Safe and Sound’’ bridge program is to improve 802 of the state’s lowest-rated bridges by 2014.
