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Feature Stories (Vol. 109 No. 33--8/15/2007)

Repairs will improve safety of Kenmare bridge

By Caroline Downs

By August 1st, Canada geese finish their nesting and fledging seasons on the Des Lacs National Wildlife Refuge.

And construction season can begin.

Repair work started the first week of August on the bridge and roadway crossing the refuge on Ward County 1 immediately west of Kenmare. Plans call for the water control structure for Unit 3 to be renovated to prevent erosion. JoAnne Johnson Contracting, LLC, of Minot is serving as the general contractor for the project.

Johnson, whose award-winning firm has successfully handled other residential and commercial jobs in Kenmare, was pleased to be working with the refuge. She cited family connections in Kenmare and Donnybrook. "We’ve been hunting there forever," she said. "We’ve worked there forever."

Dan Butler is the project superintendent on the ground to direct operations. "The contract is to rehabilitate the water control structure at Dam Number 3," he explained. "This will allow the refuge to control the water flow better for migratory birds. It’s going to do nothing more than help the ecosystem here." The bid for the project was $172,025.44.

Evaporation caused shallow areas on the site to dry naturally through the end of July. Wheeler Construction of Minot, a subcontractor for the project, built coffer dams around the bridge to hold back the remaining water pumped out of deeper pools. Workers also excavated old rip rap and dirt out of the site to gain complete access to the water control structure and bridge.

"During high flows, water would flow over the top of the structure and go around it and cut underneath the bridge," said Tedd Gutzke, project leader for the Souris River Basin National Wildlife Refuge Complex. He explained some sheet piling had been in place, but over time water seeped around the sides.

Heavy water flows undercut the ground below the bridge structure, with the extent of the damage evaluated by Ward County engineers. "They’re going to remove the rock and fill in those voids with concrete," Gutzke said. The sheet piling will also be extended along both ends of the bridge and driven eight feet into the ground to increase stability.

According to Gutzke, the water control structure has been rebuilt at least a couple of times through the years, with the last project taking place in the early 1980s. This time, the rusted metal channels of the structure will be cut out and replaced with stainless steel. "Hopefully, when they’re done, that bridge and that structure will be good for another forty or fifty years," Gutzke said.

The repairs will benefit both the waterfowl that use Unit #3 for nesting and feeding and drivers who depend on the road. "This is a cooperative project between us and [Ward] County to upgrade that bridge and water control structure to make it safe and efficient for years to come," said Gutzke.

Duane Dockter of the Des Lacs NWR serves as the onsite inspector for the project, a liaison between the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the contractors. "They’re just getting started, but it’s going good so far," he said.

He described how damage to the structure actually started with a particular storm in 1993. "We had five inches of rain in a few hours," he said. "That washed out one side [of the bridge]."

Butler described the basic steps in the project. "We’re going to replace the weir gates that hold back the water in the spring and do some structural repairs on the wing walls," he said. "New materials are coming in for compaction and erosion, including the new steel plates. We’ll restabilize the base and put down new material and new rock to get a good flow channel."

Roger Lynne, foreman overseeing the project, estimated the work as planned could take three to four weeks and possibly longer. "We don’t know what we’re going to find," he said shortly after the project started, referring specifically to the northwest corner of the bridge where the most seepage occurred.

Ward County Engineer Roger Kluck said the county determined the erosion at the bridge needed additional attention. "There’s been undermining of the bridge abutments," he said. "The ice action and water action have taken soil out from under there."

According to Kluck, the county discussed plans to fix the problem with Wheeler Construction. "We’ve asked the contractor to give us a price," he said. "They would go down three feet below the bottom of the abutments to clean out the dirt and muck and rock, and fill it in with concrete the full width of the bridge, corner to corner."

The repairs would take place in conjunction with the water control structure project.

Kenmare area drivers may encounter single-lane traffic or short delays when crews are working. However, refuge personnel and contractors recognized the significance of the road as one of the few routes across the refuge. "Our intentions are to keep at least one lane open at all times," Lynne said, "especially because of harvest."

Kluck agreed the road would remain open. "If [anyone has] any questions or concerns, they should give me a call," he said. He can be reached at the Ward County Highway Department, 701-838-2810.