The Benton Street Bridge is one of only three crossings of the railroad that connects the eastern half of Pocatello to the Historic Old Town. It is an essential element of our transportation system with over 12,000 vehicles traveling over this structure daily.

The Benton Street Bridge was built in 1965, so it is now 48 years old. In 2004, the superstructure of the bridge (the girders and decking) was rehabilitated, but funding was insufficient at that time to complete rehabilitation of the substructure (the concrete columns and piers under the bridge).

The piers, columns and abutments of the Benton Street Bridge are exhibiting serious deterioration, including corrosion of the reinforcing steel. The most recent inspection of the bridge (on April 28, 2013) reported a sufficiency rating of 35.1 out of a possible score of 100. The condition of the substructure was characterized as “serious”. The overall appraisal of the structure condition was stated as “Intolerable – Correct”.

This project will complete the rehabilitation of the important supporting structure of the bridge. The rehabilitation is intended to keep the existing bridge in service for another 20 to 40 years. The actual construction is scheduled to take place in 2016; the contract we are presenting tonight is for the engineering investigation and design of the rehabilitation.

The total estimated cost of the project is $3,778,000, including design, construction engineering, and construction. The local match is 7.34% or approximately $280,000 for the total project. Preliminary engineering work will begin in 2013 with construction to start in March of 2018.

The public can expect that the Benton St Bridge will remain open with two lanes of traffic flow, one in each direction.