How much was lost by the county in taxpayer funds throughout this process (1995-2013)?
- Answer: Approximate expenditures by the County on the bridge project starting in 1995 are as follows:
Year Expenditure Comment 1995-2006 $300,000 concrete bridge engineering fees 2007-2008 $0 2009 $48,000 truss bridge engineering fees 2010 $22,000 truss bridge engineering fees 2011 $118,000 truss bridge engineering fees 2012 (thru August) $59,000 legal fees and truss bridge engineering fees Total Engineering and Legal Fees Lost: $547,000 Total Federal Matching Funds Lost: $2,580,000 Grand Total: $3,127,000
Why were the federal matching funds lost after all these years?
- Answer: because the County Council and Zionsville Town Council want a bigger, concrete bridge. They defunded the truss without having another project in the works. INDOT pulled the plug at that point.
Does the county have another bridge project in place?
- Answer: no, they do not have plans, specs or cost estimates on any other bridge.
Who is responsible for losing the federal funds?
- Answer: Depends who you ask. The Commissioners tried endlessly to get the truss completed and were on track to succeed. Because of the Zionsville Town Council, County Councilmen Gene Thompson and David Rogers vote to not “refund” the truss, the bridge was finally and completely defunded.
How much longer will the existing bridge last?
- Answer: Unknown. The County is required to inspect their bridges typically every 2 years. In the County’s 2011 Inspection report, the bridge’s surface and deck had a remaining life of 2013 and the super structure, substructure and approach features a remaining life of 2014. Traffic safety features do not meet any current standards nor have they for awhile. It normally takes 4-5 years to bring a project to life so there is the potential that the bridge and road could close before another bridge is built.
How will a new bridge be funded and how long will this process take?
- Answer: The County can reapply for federal funds. Funds may or may not be available because Boone County receives no guarantee from INDOT that funds will be available. Federal money is tight. Or, the County could use ALL local funds which would significantly reduce their “rainy day” fund. The County’s “rainy day” fund has approximately $6.0 million. If another bridge project could even be built for roughly $3.5 million (which we don’t know), the County has depleted more than half the “rainy day” fund just to build this one bridge. The entire process could take 5-6 years to complete if federal funds are used. It is unknown how long it would take if all local funds were used.
What impact will any new bridge have on the Rural Historic District designated in 2009 by the National Parks Service?
- Answer: Any new bridge project that is built at that site, in the Rural Historic District, will trigger both Section 106 review and approval and NEPA approval to determine if there is any negative impact on the District. This can be an expensive, extensive, time consuming review. This review was already completed and approved for the truss bridge but does not apply to any others. This review will need to be completed all over again.
Will Ford Road be widened to 4 lanes?
- Answer: It is currently classified as an arterial which technically could allow up to 4 lanes. It is up to your elected officials to decide what they want for that area and if money is available. Some Town elected officials have said that it will eventually be 4 lanes and some have not responded. Ask your Town and County representatives what they want.
Will any new bridge affect the tunnel of trees?
- Answer: Maybe and maybe not. It all depends upon what type of bridge the County decides to build in that spot and the type of modification that will be done to both the north and south approaches. Keep an eye on your elected officials to see what they come up with next.
Will any new bridge significantly affect the appearance of the area around the bridge?
- Answer: This depends on the type of bridge installed and it’s approaches. Regardless of the type of bridge installed, the intersection of 96th Street and Ford Road is likely to be moved further north for safety reasons. If a concrete bridge is installed, the bridge will likely need to be significantly higher than the current bridge (some 8-9 feet) in order to have the required clearance for flood water. This is due to the supporting structure of a concrete bridge being mostly underneath the bridge. One advantage of the now scuttled truss bridge was that it’s supporting structure was largely above the bridge itself which did not require the bridge to be much higher than the current concrete bridge. The current concrete bridge was built before the current regulations on floor water clearance were in place.
