Long Grove defends bridge

Long Grove officials Friday clarified the meaning of findings of the Federal Highway Administration, which gave a historic covered bridge on Robert Parker Coffin Road in the village a 27 percent sufficiency rating.

The low rating is an attention grabber in the wake of the bridge collapse this week in Minneapolis. The bridge's rating is one of the lowest in the area.

But in this case, Long Grove Village Manager David Lothspeich said the rating doesn't mean the bridge is unsafe for the way it is used.

"The bridge's design is a detriment to its rating because it's a single-lane bridge. It's what's called functionally obsolete. That doesn't mean it is unsafe," he said.

"Even if you tore it down and built it up from the ground with the same design it wouldn't improve the rating much," he said.

Lothspeich said the rating could be improved by replacing it with a modern bridge, but doing so would destroy the character of the historical bridge.

"You have to keep in mind the bridge was built in 1925 and not meant to handle more than three tons. We have signs posted and the roof over the bridge limits what types of vehicles can go onto it," he said.

Lothspeich said the bridge's daily traffic has been estimated at about 700 vehicles.

In 2004, the village closed the bridge for a month in mid-October and spent $125,000 and replace corroding steel beams and other bridge components.

Lothspeich said the village also did repair work to the bridge in the 1980s.

"I want the residents and people who come to the village to know that the bridge is safe," he said.