New Baker County SR 216 bridges scheduled to open today

State Route 216 near Milford in Baker County is scheduled to reopen today with completion of a dual bridge construction project.

Contractor Southern Concrete Construction Co. Inc. replaced the Ichawaynochaway Creek bridge and built an overflow bridge to help prevent water from topping the road. The main bridge was built in 1952, had posted weight limits and was structurally deficient. A culvert previously served as the overflow structure for the creek.

Construction closed SR 216 to through traffic in late March 2018 and motorists used an off-site detour.

Southern is also replacing the SR 200 Ichawaynochaway Creek bridge between Newton and Damascus in Baker County. That bridge was built in 1956. SR 200 is expected to close in December and construction should take about a year. SR 216 and SR 200 could not close at the same time because one route serves as the detour for the other. The combined construction cost of the three Baker County bridges is $12.5 million.