4 May 2023
GROVE TOWNSHIP (KSNT) – Members of the Grove Township community are pleading with Shawnee County to save a 100-year-old bridge they say helps tie their community together.
The rural bridge at 70th Street at Valencia Road in northwest Shawnee County spans across Big Soldier Creek. Since it was built in 1922, the bridge has fallen into disrepair. On any given day, the county says 50 to 75 people drive over the bridge.
Back in March, Shawnee County Public Works Director Curt Neihaus told 27 News the bridge is near the end of its service life. He said the level of deterioration is past the point of repair, and it would be too expensive for the county to replace it.
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Public works has been monitoring the bridge for signs of further decay. Neihaus said at their most recent inspection, they found one 9-foot-long crack had opened an additional 1/8th of an inch since January 2023.
At a public meeting Wednesday, Neihaus updated residents on the situation. In turn, residents who use the bridge on a regular basis made the case for why they think it should be repaired or replaced. Most cited either convenience or because of the bridge’s historic place in their community.
Neihaus said he has to be smart with where he spends the county’s money.
“As the public works director, I have to look out at the whole county, and I have a limited budget,” Neihaus said. “So, I feel I should spend money where it will do most good for Shawnee County citizens and those people using the roads who may not live in the county.”
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“I’ve been on the south side of our county. There’s a lot of bridges over there,” Grove Township resident Mike Renfor said. “There’s a lot of money being spent on that side of our county. I don’t want us to feel like it’s not important to our commissioners to realize that this is very important bridge for us.”
Neihaus said for now the county will continue to inspect the bridge every two months. If its condition gets much worse, he said will condemn and remove the bridge.