Two 70-year-old township bridges examined

Atlas Twp.-Two area bridges were inspected earlier this month by the Genesee County Road Commission along with township officials.
The Jordan Road bridge located between Irish and Atlas roads, along with the Henderson Road bridge were the focus of the daylong study.
Fred Peivandi, director of engineering at the Genesee County Road Commission, said both bridges were examined, for the deck condition along with structure and safety. A report to the township will be available within a few weeks.
The 32-foot steel Henderson Bridge spanning the Kearsley Creek was constructed in 1937 and is in fair to poor condition, with two outside beams listed in poor condition, explained Peivandi.
‘Right now we are considering making the bridge more narrow, keeping the traffic off the edge where the exterior beams are,? said Peivandi. ‘The deck is in good shape and the interior beams are pretty good. We are also going to test the weight limits on the bridge to determine if load limits are necessary. The legal limit is 77 tons and less, there would be weight restrictions.?
With only 300 cars per day crossing the Jordan Road Bridge, it’s much less traveled than Henderson Road.
Built in 1934, the 41-foot Jordan Road span is in satisfactory condition, added Peivandi. The surface of the bridge will be covered with a latex modified concrete after the top deck surface is removed.
‘The bridge is the best of the two,? he said.
‘Still, due to the lack of funding we’ll come up with an economical plan to repair both bridges. The township will have to fund both projects.?