Detour to be set for Thornton bridge

A detour was set to go in place Wednesday for the wood bridge on Sunset Road in Thornton with a temporary bridge in place. The detour will be used for an estimated four weeks.

Workers began at the site June 13 by placing signs for road work and the detour which they built just off to the side through private land. Some trees were trimmed for the detour.

The Thornton depot bridge will be taken out and replaced with a concrete span, to gain a foot in clearance over Thorn Creek which has become inundated with silt and prone to flooding.

No official estimate was available for the Thornton project but bridges of this type often come in at the $300,000 range.

The project will all be done by Whitman County public works, along with the rental of a crane and operator.

Wood from the old bridge, depending on its condition, will be kept by the Public Works department for other projects.

The Thorn Creek bridge was built in 1934 and widened in 1953.