VAN BUREN -- A wooden bridge on State Route 103 that serves as a primary access for Big Spring in the Ozark National Scenic Riverways will close Aug. 27, and could remain closed for up to a year.
The National Park Service will replace the existing bridge through a partnership with the Federal Highway Administration, according to an announcement Friday. Cost estimates for the project have not been released.
Access to Big Spring Campground, as well as the Peavine and Big Spring pavilions will be available by taking State Route 103 to Peavine Road. The Chubb Hollow area can be reached by taking State Highway 103 to Z Highway, according to the park service.
In addition to closing the bridge, several hiking trails immediately adjacent to the bridge construction site may be partially closed to ensure visitor safety. Park service workers said signs will be posted advising visitors of any closed areas near the bridge.
Discussions concerning the replacement of the bridge have been ongoing since around 2014, and at one point were expected to begin in 2017. Park staff said in 2015 the design, construction and funding of a new bridge would come from the Federal Lands Highways Program, under the FHA. This program provides funding to manage roads on federal lands.
The last major rehab of the bridge was done in 1990, with some repairs and sidewalk work completed around 2010, park service have reported previously.
A 2014 inspection by the FHA found the 1977 structure to be in fair to poor condition. Correspondence from FHA noted deterioration of the wooden deck and repeated flood damage to the soil beneath the approaches.
The most serious problems noted by FHA in its earlier inspection were the extensive decay of the deck panel overhangs, particularly in the deck drain areas, severe decay of numerous railing posts and severe deterioration of the east curb and rails.
Water is the main source of the 450-foot structure's problems, park service staff have said.
Laying asphalt over a wooden deck, a common practice across the nation, is now known to trap water and promote deterioration.
It is difficult to know the true state of the deck, because it hasn't been torn up, staff have said, but the frequent damage to the asphalt above is a sign of trouble.
This is one of several issues expected to be addressed by the new design, as well as issues caused below the bridge deck when the Current River floods.
The 25-foot approaches on either side of the bridge sit above soil confined by a timber structure.
Each time the Current River floods, the soil liquefies and begins to escape the confinement area, according to the park service in previous reports. This causes the pavement above to sink down and potholes to form.