Wood planks bought for bridge work

County commissioners approved a $17,000 bid Monday from Bridgewell Resources in Tigard, Ore. for wood planks for replacements on the county’s 24 wood bridges.

“Every year we do planking,” said Storey.

The new 4-inch by 12-inch planks, made of treated fir, are used to replace old ones – usually individually while sometimes an entire new deck is needed.

Current wood bridges in the county were generally built or re-built in the 1960s. The oldest current bridges go back to the ‘50s.

“We have places where we’re on the third and fourth bridge in the same place,” said Storey.

The individual planks last about 10 years.

“Some need to be replaced every three or four years,” Storey.

The county does re-planking on about a half dozen bridges each year.