3/27/2013
Bridge failure closes N. 3900 East in Jefferson County, S. 3rd West in Rigby
RIGBY - A fractured girder of a Jefferson County bridge over the Burgess Canal, has closed a portion of N. 3900 East and S. 3rd West in Rigby, the Idaho Transportation Department (ITD) announced. County officials plan to replace the bridge and reopen the road this summer.
Located just south of Bill's Auto Inc. on S. 3rd West in Rigby, the county road will remain closed until the bridge is replaced. Traffic north of the bridge is detoured along Centennial Lane to the U.S. 20 business loop (State Street) and Idaho 48 (1st South) in Rigby. Traffic south of the bridge is rerouted along 200 North to N. 3800 East and Idaho 48 (E. 300 North) in Jefferson County.
ITD bridge inspectors discovered the failure March 16 and asked county officials to close the bridge immediately, which they did. ITD Bridge Asset Management Engineer Kathleen Slinger, in Boise, said the cause of the failure is unknown. The fracture was not evident in ITD’s previous inspection two years ago.
Inspectors believe another of the four T-girders forming the deck also may be susceptible to near-term failure.
County officials hope to replace the bridge, constructed in 1975, with a prebuilt steel structure, using local, state and federal funds. They intend to apply for an emergency bridge replacement grant from the federal government.