County Will Replace Two Rural Bridges

Spokane County will spend $700,000 replacing two little-used bridges in rural corners of the county.

County commissioners on Tuesday gave engineers approval to request bids for the work on bridges on Darknell and Scroggie roads. The two wooden bridges will be replaced with concrete.

The Scroggie Road bridge over the Union Pacific Railroad tracks is used by about 15 cars a day, according to a county survey done in August. Located about two miles from Fishtrap Lake, it gets far more use - although exactly how much more has not been documented - in the early weeks of the fishing season, said Mike Carroll, a county traffic engineer.

Work probably will begin on the Scroggie Road bridge this spring, said engineer Bill Johns. It is expected to cost $362,000.

Replacing the Darknell bridge over Rattlers Run Creek is expected to cost about $341,000, with work starting after spring runoff. The bridge, about two miles northwest of Fairfield, is used by about 30 cars a day, Carroll said.

Johns said the Darknell bridge is an important part of the farm-to-market link.

, DataTimes