Scheduled to be closed beginning March 25 for replacement ...

The Irish Hollow Creek Bridge pictured above along Iowa River Drive (County Road A26) and located approximately 3.5 miles southwest of New Albin adjacent to the Upper Iowa River is scheduled to be closed to all traffic beginning Monday, March 25 for a replacement project of the entire structure which was first constructed in 1946. The closing was originally scheduled to begin March 18 but the recent thawing combined with rain made the gravel roads being used as a detour around the bridge project difficult to navigate. That detour around the project, if approaching from the west (the Lycurgus area or Dorchester area), will involve taking a right about a half mile west of the bridge and heading south on Morgan Bridge Road for about a mile to its intersection with Pine Tree Drive, taking a left on to Pine Tree Drive and traveling about another mile east to Black Hawk Road, then taking a left on to Black Hawk Road and traveling approximately two miles north and east to State Highway 26. If traveling from the west, the reverse of the above route would have to be utilized beginning from Highway 26 to Black Hawk Road, Pine Tree Drive and Morgan Bridge Road. Should weather continue to interfere with the condition of those gravel roads used in the detour, a longer route on paved roads through the Lycurgus area and Lansing may have to be utilized. Signs will be posted for both the detour and the bridge closure along Iowa River Drive.

Allamakee County Engineer Brian Ridenour said the 73-year-old bridge has some deck deficiencies which would have required posting the bridge for weight restrictions, so the decision was made to replace the structure along the well-utilized Iowa River Road route. The bridge also has had to be signed as “narrow” due to its width being narrower than the approach pavement width through the nearby curve. Ridenour said the deck also has major concrete spalling failures due to years of moisture and freeze-thaw expansion and contraction. He also said the new structure will be a simple free span with no middle pier, so debris will not get hung up in possible future high water situations.

Ridenour said the replacement project should take three to four months, depending upon the weather, and County officials and the project contractor appreciate everyone’s patience with the bridge closure on such a roadway. The cost to replace the structure has been marked at $727,000, with 80% of that cost coming from federal funding. Brennan Construction of Lansing will be completing the project. Standard photo by Joe Moses.