A photo of the Hackney bridge taken by MKEC, an engineering firm contracted with Cowley County.
The closed Hackney Bridge near Strother Field just east of U.S. 77 has the funding mechanisms it needs for replacement, according to Cowley County Administrator Lucas Goff Wednesday morning.
Goff said in an interview on KSOK radio that county commissioners have accepted $1 million in state funding to aid in the replacement of the bridge, which has been closed since April 2019 following the recommendation of the county’s engineering firm.
“It’s moving fairly aggressively,” Goff said. “It will be replaced with a newer structure that meets standards for todays and meets the needs of that area.”
Goff said after bidding, state approval processes and the demolition of the current structure are complete, construction of a new bridge is projected for the end of 2023 or the beginning of 2024.
The $1 million from the state for the Hackney Bridge replacement is a part of $7 million in state monies for 13 bridge projects across the state through the KDOT’s Off-System Bridge Improvement Program.
The Hackney Bridge was built in 1936 and repairs are estimated at half-a-million dollars. A complete bridge replacement is estimated to cost 1.79 million.
Goff said general obligation bonding will also be a part of the new bridge’s funding.
State funding for the 13 projects will be enhanced by a minimum 20 percent match from each recipient, according to a news release from the governor’s office in September, resulting in $10.4 million in total local infrastructure improvements.
Of the 13 projects, the Hackney bridge was awarded the most money. The next highest amount is for over $857,000 for a bridge in Osage County.
KDOT received 87 applications requesting $46.4 million as part of the Off-System Bridge Improvement Program.
Cowley County Commissioners have wrangled with either repairing the existing bridge or tearing it down and building a new one. Goff said Wednesday that improvement plans Bridge 99 at the Dexter Y at K-28 are also moving ahead.
In Kansas, there are more than 19,300 locally owned bridges, of which 1,230 are in “poor” condition and an additional 3,844 are either unable to carry legal loads or accommodate modern truck sizes, according to the governor’s office.
