The Post Online - More delays at Cowan Creek bridge on CR 22

Aug. 17, 2009

More delays for bridge on CR 22 over Cowan Creek

CENTRE — On July 6, County Engineer Corey Chambers was hopeful work on the Cowan Creek Bridge would be completed sometime next month.

Last week, Chambers said he is still holding onto that hope. But he admitted it's going to take a lot more work than he's seen going on at the site lately.

“It's going slowly,” he told The Post last week. “They're really going to be pushed” to finish the bridge by mid-September.

The original end date for work to replace the 240-foot span was the end of July. But icy weather last winter followed by a unionized sub-contractor that worked only four days a week combined to put the reconstruction nearly a month behind by summertime.

Chambers said the main contractor hasn't done much lately to make up for the lost time.

“They are not yet into the time of liquidated damages, where they start losing money” because they've taken longer than the time allotted to complete their work, Chambers said Wednesday. “They've still got about 20 working days left, but we wish they were making more progress.”

Recently, improper work on the bridge's overhangs had to be re-done, further lengthening the delays. Still, Chambers said he's hesitant to say the county will not call on the contractor in the future.

Chambers said he has hired two additional employees to watch over the project and pitch in whenever they're needed. He said his department is also making sure they're ready to swarm over the bridge and put on the finishing touches as soon as possible.

“We've already had divers come in and visually inspect the piers, which is a requirement,” Chambers said. “We've also been in contact with the water, electricity and phone companies, so they can get their lines run across the new bridge as quickly as possible when the contractor finishes.”