When a new bridge was constructed along Tannehill Road from 1965 to 1966, the total cost to taxpayers was $79,161.
However, simply designing a replacement for that structure – without constructing anything – is estimated as $851,594.
“I am just in awe,” Bartholomew County Commissioner Tony London said in regard to how costs have skyrocketed over the past 60 years.
Nevertheless, the board of commissioners gave their unanimous approval to the design agreement with Strand Associates, Inc. Monday.
Construction costs are expected to reach $7.2 million. But when related costs such as obtaining right of way, preliminary engineering, design and utility relocation are factored in, county highway engineer Danny Hollander said earlier this year he expects the total to rise to about $9.3 million.
On March 11, the county announced it had received a $6.7 million federal grant for the replacement of the 236-feet long river crossing.
Although construction could get underway as early as July 2028, it’s more realistic to predict work starting in the spring of 2030, Hollander said.
But he added the current bridge, located next to the Bill Newton Public Access Site, was only designed for a 15-ton truck.
“When you have a weight limit sign on a bridge the first day you open it, it’s not right,” Hollander said.
Since 80% of the new bridge will be funded with federal aid, the county is required to have a number of environmental and archaeological studies done, the highway engineer said.
“You have to go out there and look for arrowhead,” Hollander said. “It’s a big river, so there’s going to be a lot to survey.”
In a financial commitment letter sent to the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT) last November, the county agreed to pay $1.5 million toward construction, and another $1 million for inspection costs. These monies are expected to be taken out of the county’s cumulative bridge fund.
The original Tannehill Bridge was a wooden covered bridge built in 1869.
