By Anna Skinner
The Zionsville Parks Commission is determining the future of the Starkey Road bridge.
The bridge originally came into question because of its dangerous appearance, especially the underside. Bridge engineer Steve Christian spoke to the Parks board Aug. 12 about the structure.
“Deterioration is something that doesn’t slow down in the summer,” Christian said. “The bridge itself is plenty strong, there is no concern about the strength of it, and it will carry pedestrian traffic. The major concern would be deterioration and potential concrete fall.”
Christian and his firm took some data they accumulated from examining the bridge and came up with a few options for the board to consider.
Christian suggested that the board not use the first option, which resulted in continuing additional patching of the bridge.
“It’s not a good option, because it is very marginal. The amount of patching needed is spending so much money for the small service life,” Christian said.
More patching would result in an additional 10 to 15 years of bridge life.
Christian provided other options, which included total bridge replacement or fiber wrapping the infrastructure.
Fiber wrapping would expand the bridge life to about 20 to 25 years, a decade longer than additional patching. It replaces all deteriorated concrete to get a smooth surface, more or less laminating the concrete to give it more strength and life to hold the bridge in place.
The third offer was to completely reconstruct the bridge. Christian recommended the second option based on price and durability. The board acknowledged his suggestion and will discuss the options before making a final decision.
