Bridge limit reduced despite concerns

5-ton limit placed for CSAH 8 bridge on Brown/Renville county line

By KURT NESBITT Journal Staff Writer
NEW ULM — Ambulances and school buses won’t be able to cross it now that Brown County has posted the CSAH 8 bridge over the Minnesota River at 5 tons.

However, farm equipment will still be able to cross the bridge regardless of weight, thanks to a legal exemption.

Brown County commissioners joined the group of about 10 men from the Franklin area in shaking their heads at the notion of preventing an ambulance from crossing the river on that bridge for fear that it might cause the 90 year-old structure to collapse, when a farm tractor of any weight could lawfully cross the river using the same structure.

The group came to the county board meeting to ask questions and speak on behalf of some groups in the Franklin area. Commissioners heard questions and concerns from representatives of the Cedar Mountain School District as well as the Franklin Ambulance Service before they took a vote. Ultimately, the county board chose to post the road at 5 tons because its condition poses safety issues.

The posting will limit use of the bridge to cars and pickup trucks only. Fire trucks aren’t allowed to cross at the current 10-ton posting and the new 5-ton posting will also restrict ambulances from crossing it.

The bridge is at the northern tip of Brown County, right on the border the county shares with Renville County. The bridge crosses the Minnesota River.

Brown County recently voted to pay for an independent bridge inspection, the results from which were available to commissioners Tuesday. The firm that inspected the bridge found several significant deficiencies that it felt require action or close monitoring. Recommendations included posting the bridge as a 5-ton weight limit, scheduling it for replacement if a bridge is needed and monitoring its condition at six-month intervals.

The county Highway Committee discussed the report on March 18 and agreed to follow the consultant’s recommendations. It also decided to notify some of the people who attended the meeting Tuesday.

Those people expressed concerns to commissioners, including whether the posting would affect Cedar Mountain school buses, even though they use the Franklin Bridge as an optional route and how it might affect the Franklin Ambulance Service.

Ultimately, Commissioner James Berg moved that the board approve the 5-ton rating because of the safety issues involved. Commissioner Dennis Potter seconded the motion, saying he sympathizes with the concerned people who came to the meeting, but he also did not want any motorist to wind up in the Minnesota River.

County Administrator Chuck Enter said Brown County has no plans to replace or repair the bridge because of a lack of funding. He said the bridge is low on the county’s list of priorities because it has low traffic, while others in the county have more, and because its elevation and location in a flood plain make it an expensive project to replace.

The new posting passed the county board on a unanimous vote.

In other county news:

• The county board discussed a report of a state review of child welfare and child protection services with a representative of the Minnesota Department of Human Services.

The report found that while Family Services largely performed well, there were a few areas where the state found that improvement was needed. Brown County met four of six national standards, including incidence of child abuse or neglect in foster care, stability of foster care placements, length of time to achieve reunification and length of time to adoption.

Family Services did not meet the national standards for recurrence of maltreatment or foster care re-entries.