width reduction allowed for bridge replacement

[graycreek]

County is persuing the replacement of two 1926 old highway 40 bridges with federal funding assistance cost est. of 10.6 million.The road past the bridges is a dead end and has very little traffic. ADT estimated at 10. The bridges have been reduced to one lane due to poor structural conditions for past 8 years.The replacement design is a two lane 28' wide bridge. Considering the road ends just past the bridges and there is no or very little increase of traffic projected in the future it seems that replacing the bridge with any more than one lane is inapropiate and a waste of tax payer's dollars.The County states that in order to qualify for the federal assistance funding that they must design with two lanes to meet federal specs. Does anyone know how federal funding could be obtained without meeting the federal spec. requirements? For example building one lane bridges instead of two.

 

[bridgebuster]

In order to obtain funding the County needs to submit some type of Design Report, which essentially follows the outline of an Environmental Impact Statement or Environmental Assessment. Bottom line: you'll be preparing the report. With that said, one of the alternatives you can present is a single lane bridge along with sufficient justification for the alternative.

Ordinarily, a substandard geometric condition can be retained if it is too costly to correct. Doesn't sound like the case with your bridges.

It's the bridge owner who has to push for it.