CLEARFIELD – A Sandy Township bridge will soon find itself with a lower weight limit, and construction could begin on a new solution in the future.
Sandy Township Manager Dick Castonguay said this week that the Platt Road bridge off of state Route 255 is continuing to deteriorate.
The bridge was recently received its inspection. Such a check is done on all bridges with a span of over 20 feet every two years.
The bridge is currently listed as having a 6-ton weight limit, but the survey suggested that the weight limit be lowered to 3 tons. Castonguay said it was advised that traffic be limited to the center of the bridge.
For now, the township is working on an agreement for an alternate passage so that the bridge can be closed. It is likely that the bridge will be torn down and replaced with a culvert-type crossing that is seen at other locations in the same area.
Castonguay said the township learned that replacing the bridge would cost about $1 million several years ago, but he advised that such costs go up each year.
“I hope we can replace that with culverts for a whole lot less,” he said.