Coal Creek Bridge No. 3035A Replacement Project

The existing bridge is deteriorating and needs to be replaced. The 63-year-old timber support structure is decaying, the 108-year-old steel floor beams are severely rusting, the paint is peeling, and the curve in the road and bridge do not provide adequate visibility to oncoming traffic.

The bridge has been categorized as structurally deficient and functionally obsolete.

Structurally deficient means there are significant load carrying elements of the bridge that are in poor condition due to deterioration and/or damage or the waterway opening provided by the bridge is insufficient causing water overtopping with significant traffic delays. The fact that a bridge is “structurally deficient” does not imply that it is likely to collapse or that it is unsafe. It means that the bridge must be frequently monitored, inspected and maintained.

A functionally obsolete bridge is one that was built to standards that are not used today. Functionally obsolete bridges are those that do not have adequate load carrying capacity, lane widths, shoulder widths, approach roadway alignment, horizontal and vertical clearances to serve current traffic demand, or those that may be occasionally flooded.

Yes. The Road Services Division bridge inspection team has inspected the bridge every 6 months since 2017 to ensure the bridge is safe for vehicular traffic under current weight restrictions. This is more frequent than the required 24-month inspection cycle. If repairs are needed due to findings during the inspections, the inspection team works with our maintenance staff to perform the work to keep the bridge safe for public use until the bridge is replaced.