In response to FOIA, division says analysis incomplete
BRUCETON MILLS — The fate of the Rockville-Mount Nebo Bridge is still being analyzed, and the analysis could take three or four more months.
That’s according to Jill C. Dunn, director of the Division of Highways Legal Division.
The West Virginia Department of Transportation closed the bridge in August, saying it was unsafe for public use.
Following the closure of the bridge, The Dominion Post sent a Freedom of Information Act request to the DOT asking for a copy of the most recent inspection report on the bridge.
Brandi Edens, paralegal for the DOH legal division, said the requested documents were being collected and reviewed, and a response would be made within six weeks. Six weeks passed, and a copy of the bridge inspection report was not received.
When contacted a second time, Mike Cronin, District 4 acting engineer, said “To my knowledge, we are going to try to get the funds to repair it. Currently, for safety purposes it must be closed.”
In October the newspaper once again requested the information. Dunn replied Nov 9.
“In response to your Freedom of Information Act Request, please be advised that the West Virginia Division of Highways continues its analysis of the Rockville Mt. Nebo Bridge in Preston County, West Virginia, therefore, there is no report currently available and such report will not be available until the analysis has been completed,” Dunn wrote.
“It is anticipated that this report will be available in three-four months,” she said. “Please check back with our office at that time for a copy of the report.”
Owen Mulkeen, associate director of Friends of the Cheat, said it has not received any recent information or updates about the bridge.
He said if the bridge is removed, it isolates the organization’s property. Friends of the Cheat owns a recreational access point near the bridge. Mulkeen said it would also cause massive detours for boaters on the upper Big Sandy.
“It’s still accessible from the Pisgah side, but the road is in dire condition,” he said “Only recreationalists with four-wheel drive vehicles can make it, and even then, it’s not easy.”
The bridge inspection report of May 2018 lists its overall condition as poor. The superstructure condition rating was serious, the substructure condition rating fair and the deck condition rating poor.
Although the bridge condition is considered poor, the Rockville-Mount Nebo Bridge is eligible for the National Register of Historic Places.
The bridge is listed by bridge hunter.com, which tracks historic and notable bridges in the United States. It was built by King Bridge Co., of Cleveland, Ohio, in 1893. That makes it 127 years old. Its largest span is 84 feet, total length is 149 feet and the deck width is 11.4 feet.
Kitty Henderson, executive director of the Historic Bridge Foundation in Austin, Texas, said because the bridge is eligible for National Register status, the state must go through a Section 106 before any decision about its future can be made.
She said Section 106 of the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 allows individuals and groups to participate in all discussions about the bridge. It also requires the state to look at alternatives to destruction.
Henderson said there are various ways for this to be done. She said the bridge can be made as part of a one-way pair or it can be left as a monument. The state can also market the bridge to an individual or organization. If marketed, it can be moved to another location such as a park or left at its current location.
TWEET @DominionPostWV
