O'Neal Bridge

It is so good to see this beauty making a comeback! I talked to the Boone County Engineer about installing off-structure headache bars on this and the Creek Road Bridge. He did inform me that even when complete, this bridge will remain closed until a nearby development is completed.

Here's a photo of the work in progress, courtesy Mark Finch.

Jim, the Boone County Engineer told me earlier this year that he was very surprised at just how much of the original steel was reusable.

This bridge is currently being restored. It's not clear how much of the original bridge they could salvage but what I'm seeing looks like they're very faithful to the original.

Basically...

...In a Basic kinda way! ;-)

I needed a laugh. That was Terrible.

This basically has to be one of the greatest quotes I've ever read from a newspaper article...

”The basic structure basically needed basically to be replaced.”

An article from 2009 describing the restoration that was 'undone' by the tractor:

https://www.timessentinel.com/news/local_news/holliday-road-...

Holliday road bridge now open

By Andrea Hirsch/Times Sentinel managing editor Jul 15, 2009

Zionsville Times Sentinel

A bridge on Holliday Road that was considered unsafe, was repaired and is now open to the Zionsville community.

The bridge, which passes over Little Eagle Creek, runs through a wooded residential area between County Road 975 East and U.S. 421 on the north side of Zionsville. It has been closed since May of 2006 after the Boone County Highway Department said the bridge did not meet highway regulations.

“After we conducted our bridge inspection, the bridge reached the point where it was rated less than a 3-ton limit which means anything more than 3-tons in weight couldn’t cross it,” said Tom Kouns, highway supervisor for the Boone County Highway Department. “The bridge got so bad that it actually got below the 3-ton point which meant small cars would be the only thing that would be able to cross the bridge safely.”

The County Highway department conducts an inspection of all bridges, overpasses and county roads every two years. Once a bridge is rated under a 3-ton limit, the road is closed for repairs.

Kouns said the bridge, which has been in place for approximately 100 years, has needed to be repaired at least one other time in its existence. He said many years ago, a concrete truck went through the bridge and collapsed part of it.

Due to the very poor condition of the bridge in 2006, Kouns estimated that the repairs would cost approximately $350,000. The money was budgeted from the Cumulative Bridge Fund the county has in place. He said the bridge needed to be structurally upgraded including new planking, sand blasting and replacing rusted-out parts. In the end, the bridge cost the county $415,000; $65,000 over budget.

“It’s not uncommon to go over budget on a bridge that old,” he said. “No matter how hard you look at a 100-year old bridge, you don’t know exactly what needs to be done until you start taking it apart. The basic structure basically needed basically to be replaced.”

Bernardin Lochmueller and Associates, an engineering firm based out of Evansville, designed the bridge repairs.

“The bridge was getting to the point of being in bad shape,” Jim Gulick, the firm’s chief engineer said. “The county knew it was in bad shape and they wanted to do the necessary repairs to reserve it.”

Gulick said there was a lot of corrosion at the bottom line of the structure, meaning that the base bottom needed to be replaced.

“With time, bridges deteriorate,” he said. “They rust and loose their strength. We inspected the bridge, determined what was wrong, created a plan of action and implemented plans to repair it.”

After a plan was in action, Trisler Construction, a local contractor that has repaired other bridges in Boone County, was assigned to fix the bridge, which began in September 2007. Because the bridge was not heavily traveled upon, the county did not issue a detour. The bridge repair was completed and opened in April 2009. It can now hold 20 tons or more, Kouns said.

“I am very confident this bridge is now safe for motorists,” Kouns said.

Much better story than the first one I read that didn't even acknowledge it as an Historic Bridge! Boone County is to be highly commended for not only rehabilitating this and the Creek Road Bridge initially... but showing the resolve to do it again!

Latest news: http://fox59.com/2017/12/20/collapsed-historic-bridge-coming...

I wonder....could it be the same clown that trashed Creek Bridge?? Probably not, but food for thought. Looks a lot worse than Gospel Street Bridge in Paoli.

That was not a small tractor... it would take an impressive level of stupidity to do this. Ridiculous and completely unacceptable. This person must have the brain of a earthworm.

The sad carnage. Photos from the Boone County Sheriff's Office.

There are few things that would concern me more gravely than the fear of this fine website being polluted by the filth of political bickering.

The various factions who contribute to this website would do well to focus their attention on preserving the bridges what stand as reminders of our shared heritage.

There are Democratic voters who love bridges and there are Republican voters who love bridges. If only they could unite behind the common goal of preserving our beautiful structures they would undoubtedly be successful in their joint endeavor. Political strife will be of no benefit to any factions who contribute their knowledge to Bridgehunter.

It was nearly a year that the Creek Bridge in Boone County was heavily damaged under similar circumstances. It's still unrepaired.

That would explain who so many people voted for Trump.

I believe that not only are a lot of people idiots, but number one: THEY DON'T CARE!

A very sad day for Bridge Lovers of Indiana. I've been to this bridge. She was a Beautiful Old Lady.

For whatever it is worth, I actually saw a similar size tractor attempt to cross the Turkey River Bowstring Bridge in Winneshiek County, Iowa several years ago.

I thought for sure I was about to witness a bridge collapse, but that old Bowstring bridge held fast. I figured that I would be the last person to successfully cross the bridge but the tractor made it across as well.

Oh, wait farm tractor...No CDL needed...still something a monkey might pull off...

Do they give CDLs to monkeys now??????

Honestly, this is getting pathetic. Do these large vehicle operators know how much their vehicles weigh?

Lost, as of last night...

https://www.indystar.com/story/news/local/2017/12/03/tractor...

Might have to go in search of this myself. I live in Boone county and I love seeing old bridges like this.

By the way......Thanks Wayne!

I started out my bridge journey Friday with a bridge I fully expected to be gone. It was listed as closed with an unknown status, just outside of Zionsville, Indiana. Zionsville is a bedroom community within the gravitational pull of Indianapolis' urban sprawl. I really just expected this to be a formality, and I could update the list and move on. The directions that my GPS gave me lead to a dead end and new development. I thought "that's-that" and turned around to head back to the main road. My GPS decided she would "recalculate" and give me a new set of directions. I thought to myself "why not kill some more valuable time", as I had an agenda to follow! I gave in and headed North until I was directed to to "turn left". I was greeted with a gravel road, which to a Bridgehunter is a thing of beauty. Still skeptical, I headed down the road and ended up finding what would be the crowning jewel of my day. Which just goes to show you....don't assume....because you never know.........

Another beauty and a great restoration. You are making me want to move to Indiana with all these great photos of restored bridges Tony.