Cracks force shutdown of Uniontown bridge

Whitman County has closed Babinski Bridge east of Uniontown to heavy traffic after inspection crews noticed upwards of 400 cracks in the foundation of the concrete span.

Because of those cracks, the county has limited traffic on the heavily used bridge to under 30 tons, essentially anything lighter than a double-trailer semi truck. The restrictions will remain in place until the bridge can be replaced.

“We don’t need a Minneapolis bridge,” said Public Works Director Mark Storey, referring to the infamous collapsed bridge

The bridge, built in 1960, is on the Uniontown East Road. Storey said grain trucks regularly use the road to connect from Idaho Highway 95 to Uniontown.

Storey said the cracks developed between an inspection last year and this year.

The county installed several bridges in the 1960s and early-1970s that were built in a pre-cast form like the Babinski Bridge. Those bridges were made of rock that contained light-weight minerals that are susceptible to wear.

Long-term chemical reactions between those minerals and the silica in the concrete cause the rocks in the decks to pop out of the concrete over time. This jeopardizes the structure’s stability.

Although there are some 60 such bridges throughout the county, Storey said traffic patterns over the Babinski Bridge have worsened the damage.

“There’s a lot of things about this bridge that make it a bigger issue than the others,” said Storey.

Uniontown East Road is a straight, flat paved road, which allows traffic to travel at high speeds.

Storey added the road has been known to be an alternate route for oversized rigs looking for a way to avoid the scales at the top of the Lewiston grade.

Load restrictions on the bridge have thus far not been a problem because all county roads have been off-limits to heavy loads because of soft road conditions.

It could be a major inconvenience for haulers once the weather dries out and freight traffic is allowed to travel without restrictions.

“There’s no real good way around it for the trucking community,” said Storey. “It’s not a bridge we can keep posted very long because it will hamper commerce in this county.”

Storey said staff is looking for federal or state emergency repair funds to fix the bridge, but may have to replace it out of the county’s road funding.

He estimated a $120,000 price tag for county forces to replace the 30-foot long bridge.