State Set To Replace Escambia’s Worst Bridge

October 5, 2011

Plans are underway to replace Escambia County’s worst bridge, but it will be several years before it happens.

The county-owned Fannie Road bridge over Dead Lake, just northeast of Century, is now set to be replaced by the Florida Department of Transportation. In a 2010 report, the bridge was number one on the county’s wooden structure bridge replacement priority list.

The 121 foot bridge has a 10 ton weight limit. The estimated price tag to replace the bridge is $1.48 million.

The contract to replace the 51-year old bridge is not set to be let until 2014. Thursday night, the Escambia County Commission is expected to approve a contract with FDOT that would require the county to maintain the bridge once it is complete.

Bridges like the one on Fannie Road are not dangerous, according to county officials, but they are aging and in need of replacement before they become dangerous. While drivers see asphalt on the surface of the bridge, what they don’t see is the wood structure underneath.

Other North Escambia wooden substructure bridges that are considered structurally deficient, with date of construction and replacement cost, are:

  • Beck’s Lake Road across an unnamed branch, 1968, $640,000
  • Pineville Road at Long Hollow Creek, 1968, $610,000
  • Tungoil Road at McDavid Creek 1969, $860,000
  • Lambert Bridge Road at Pine Barren Creek, 1967, $2.24 million
  • Brickyard Road at an unnamed branch, 1960, $640,000
  • Bet Raines Road at Jack’s Branch, 1967, $610,000
  • Occie Phillips Road at Brushy Creek, 1968, $1 million

Pictured above and below: The Florida Department of transportation is set to let the contract to replace this Fannie Road bridge over Dead Lake in 2014. NorthEscambia.com photo, click to enlarge.

Comments

9 Responses to “State Set To Replace Escambia’s Worst Bridge”

  1. David Huie Green on October 8th, 2011 7:23 am

    REGARDING:
    “Adress the problem on Welka Rd.”

    Isn’t Welka Road in Alabama?

    David for the right tree

  2. Teresa Irving on October 7th, 2011 7:48 pm

    I am in agreeance with mike. I live off of Fannie Road on Welka Rd and the traffic there has increased by bunches. The big trucks have become a problem. There is a small bridge before my house and the big trucks running like their on I-65 is creating a hole on the bridge. Our road is not an standard road, it is smaller than a normal 2 lane road. There are no stripes down the middle of the roadand there several sharp curves. I have been run into the bushes several times by big trucks and cars. So if the county wants to help; Adress the problem on Welka Rd.

  3. FYI on October 6th, 2011 6:02 pm

    Fannie Road is a county road. That’s why they have to maintain the bridge.

  4. cliff on October 6th, 2011 1:07 pm

    we pay TAXES (gas) + some, to fix problems.it is the States place to fix these type of problems, I dont think it sould be the Countys place to maintain the States issues. this is why our property Taxes keep going up, we the people are never going to get ahead if this kind of thing keeps going on. BUT OUR LEADERS WILL (COUNTY+STATE).

  5. Well on October 6th, 2011 11:37 am

    Might be the worst?

    But it definitely does not have the lowest weight fating!!!

  6. mike on October 5th, 2011 11:43 pm

    D.O.T. needs to enforce the bridge weight law. I watch trucks go up and down Fannie Rd like it was HWY 29 just because it is shorter than going around. Some trucks are loaded and some are not. The only trucks that might be allowed to cross are the ones the driver lives back in that area. There are only two that I know of, both are on Carnley Rd. A couple years ago, the creek bridge was replaced. To go across it today, you couldn’t tell. If you are pulling a travel trailer or a heavy type boat, it feels like you might bounce of the bridge.

  7. NotAgain on October 5th, 2011 5:46 pm

    This is a non-story. Not even newsworthy. If it won’t be replaced until 2014, it’s not nearly as bad as some try to make it out to be.

  8. Scott on October 5th, 2011 10:25 am

    As the article says: “Bridges like the one on Fannie Road are not dangerous, according to county officials, but they are aging and in need of replacement before they become dangerous.”

    “Structurally Deficient” doesn’t necessarily mean dangerous, it means that it needs improving…

  9. Resident on October 5th, 2011 8:51 am

    If they county knows the bridge is bad and someone dies because they did not fix it until 2014, are they liable?

Written by William Reynolds · Filed Under News