NORTHWOOD, N.D. -- A new bridge to replace the 113-year-old structure near Northwood that collapsed last summer after an overloaded semi drove over it would cost an estimated $815,000, according to Nick West, highway engineer for Grand Forks County.
West will present information on the cost of a new bridge over the Goose River west of Northwood at the Grand Forks County Commission meeting Tuesday, Dec. 17. The estimate by KLJ Engineering and Planning Services is the total replacement cost of the bridge.
The historical bridge was a 56-foot, restricted weight bridge that collapsed July 22, 2019, under the weight of a semi-tractor trailer loaded with 49,280 pounds of dry-edible beans. The wooden bridge, built in 1906, had a wooden deck and was rated for 14 tons. The loaded semi had a weight of 42 tons.
The estimate for the cost of a new bridge was made for insurance purposes, West said. The Grand Forks County Commission has not yet determined whether it will replace the historical bridge.
If the commission eventually does decide to replace the bridge, the new one would be a modern structure made out of concrete, West said.
