Bridge on Fletcher Road Needs Repairs

The Muskingum County Engineer said another area bridge will need to be closed.

Doug Davis said an emergency evaluation performed this week shows the bridge on Fletcher Road off of State Route 345 needs to be closed immediately for safety reasons. He said monthly inspections have revealed major issues that call for emergency closing and reconstruction.

“Those beams are flexing more than I would like,” Davis said. “They’re fatiguing. It’s not going to last until spring, so we’re going to go ahead and close that bridge and tear that down. It’s currently rated as a two which is from a one to nine — nine being the best and one being the worst, it’s currently rated as a two.”

Davis said construction on a new bridge may not begin right away.

“It’s very low traffic on that road. I apologize to the residents that live on that road. There will be a local detour that goes around through Perry County. We’ve contacted the Perry County Engineer’s Office, and they’re on board with the local detour.”

The replacement timeline is still unclear at this time.