Philo-Duncan Falls Bridge Closing

Work on the Philo-Duncan Falls Bridge is expected to begin in the next few weeks.

If you’re a resident of Philo, you will soon need to find an alternative route to Duncan Falls, as the bridge will be closed from November 2 until the beginning of January. Muskingum County Engineer, Doug Davis, said there are three different locations in need of repair, including a beam that is near failure. The bridge was built in 1954, and now nearly 5,000 vehicles cross the structurally damaged bridge every single day…resulting in further decay and deterioration.

“We don’t exactly know the extent of this repair until we open up the roof and get into the floor of the deck itself,” Davis said.

Davis said they discovered the near-failing beam during a routine inspection just over a month ago. As the bridge continues to perish, vehicles weighing more than 15-tons are not advised to cross– that includes all semi-trucks, empty or full. During construction, Davis said the side-walk will remain open for public use.

“While we are doing the repair we are going to look at some other beams, while we’re underneath there and we will reassess the structure at that point in time, it’s very possible that once we do this repair that we may leave the load limit at 15-ton,” Davis said.

The total cost of repairs is an estimated $80,000. During the closure, Davis suggests using the Jonathan Creek Bridge, or Gaysport Bridge. A new bridge is expected to be constructed in 2019.