Published: February 21, 2008 09:26 pm      

Century-old Greenup bridge for sale

GREENUP — State officials are trying to preserve history by selling a century-old Greenup County bridge.

The Federal Highway Administration and the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet are seeking letters of interest from governments, organizations and individuals interested in purchasing the historic truss bridge on Main Street in Greenup.

Officials are offering a tempting deal on the bridge, which was built in 1884 and placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988.

The bridge is one of two of the oldest King Bridge Co. Pratt-through-trusses and, at 423 feet long, the second-longest multispan, pin-connected truss in the state.

The bridge, which crosses the Little Sandy River, was closed to traffic in 2003. The closure was caused by structural problems.

The FHWA and the Cabinet will pay all expenses associated with match marking, disassembly, transportation and off-loading of the bridge at the new site. The state will reimburse those costs up to the cost of demolition.

The recipient agency, organization or individual would be responsible for all costs associated with site preparation and reassembly of the bridge, as well as any structural work required for proposed uses of the bridge.

Interested parties are urged to contact the Cabinet, Flemingsburg District Office to get a bridge marketing brochure and bridge condition information. Bridge records and inspection reports are available and can be examined by appointment, Cabinet reported.

The highway department is accepting letters of interest and proposals for the next two months.

If no recipient is found, the bridge will be documented to the Historic American Engineering Record specifications and it may be demolished as a part of the replacement project.

The bridge will be replaced by a standard concrete bridge, according to Allen Blair, spokesman for the Department of Highways District 9 office, and state officials have been working closely with the city to ensure the new bridge aesthetically blends with downtown Greenup.

Blair said the officials are finishing the design of the replacement bridge this year and acquiring right of ways to build the new bridge. The state should appropriate money for the construction in 2010, he said.

The cost of replacing the bridge is estimated at $3 million, he said.

Inquiries can be sent to Karen Mynhier, Kentucky Highway Department, District 9, Elizaville Road, P.O. Box 347, Flemingsburg, KY 41041.

MARY MUSIC can be reached at mmusic@dailyindependent.com or (606) 326-2657.