Official Newspaper of Eddy County since 1883

County seeks funds to remove Hanson Bridge

 At their regular meeting on Monday, Dec. 12, Eddy County commissioners heard from Interstate Engineering about removing the bridge on 6th Street North in New Rockford.

 The bridge, locally known as "Hanson Bridge," crosses the James River and connects 6th Street North to River Drive. However, it's been blocked off from traffic for a number of years due to safety concerns.

 The N.D. Department of Transportation (NDDOT) keeps records and gives ratings to all bridges in the state, and if rated low enough, some bridges are required to be closed. That happened to the Hanson bridge around 20 years ago, according to some New Rockford residents.

 These days, the bridge is most often used as a backdrop for senior photos. However, the bridge is also historically significant.

 Built by the Fargo Bridge & Iron Company in 1904, it is one of four structures in Eddy County listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). The NRHP is part of the National Park Service, and is the official list of the nation's historic places deemed "worthy of preservation."

 It was entered into the register as "New Rockford Bridge," on March 13, 1997. A registration form for the NRHP from that year goes into great detail about the kind of bridge it is, as well as its statewide historical significance.

 The New Rockford Bridge's origin dates back to a bid placed by county commissioners in June of 1904, which asked for a "steel bridge across James River at New Rockford." The Eddy County commissioners at the time later accepted a bid of $4,396 from Fargo Bridge & Iron Co.

 The bridge itself is a rigid-connected (bolted) Warren through truss, a kind of bridge characterized by the presence of diagonal beams designed to handle heavy loads.

 According to the 1997 application form, "This pattern emerged in the late nineteenth century and, in some counties, continued into the 1930s."

 The bridge is one of only a few Warren through truss bridges in all of North Dakota, making it stand out among the more common Pratt and Parker truss bridges. It is also the oldest documented metal truss bridge in Eddy County.

 For those reasons, James E. Sperry, the State Historic Preservation Officer for North Dakota in 1997, lent his signature to the application form stating it met the requirements to be added to the national register.

 However, the application form also stated the bridge maintained a "very high level of integrity," a statement which is no longer true today, and hasn't been for some time.

 Mike May of Interstate Engineering told commissioners Monday that DOT funding is available to remove the bridge at no cost to the county.

 "Otherwise if it falls down, you're on hook to remove it all at your own expense," he said.

The commissioners agreed unanimously that May should move forward with the application process to obtain funding for the bridge's removal. It was unclear if the commissioners or May knew the bridge was listed on the NRHP.

 "We go for it, absolutely ... It's a liability right now," remarked Commissioner Dave Gehrtz. Newly sworn-in commissioner Jamie Allmaras agreed, saying, "It is, it's a dangerous thing."

 According to the National Park Service website, "the listing of a property in the National Register places no restrictions on what a non-federal owner may do with their property up to and including destruction, unless the property is involved in a project that receives Federal assistance, usually funding or licensing/permitting."

 Commissioners decided to only apply for funding to remove the bridge, rather than to both remove it and have it replaced.

 Also notable from Monday's county commission meeting was the swearing in of both Allmaras, who won his first term to the commission in November, and Gehrtz, who won his first bid for reelection.

 Gehrtz was also voted the new chairperson of the commission, taking over from Glenda Collier, who will now fill the role of vice-chairperson.

 The next county commission meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Jan. 3, at 8:30 a.m. in the Eddy County Courthouse.