---

   The County State Aid Highway (CSAH) 1 bridge over the South Fork of the Pine River, just south of the City of Pine River, was closed effective October 7 for an indefinite period due to some structural concerns with the existing timber pile. A temporary detour is being set up to direct traffic to Hassman Hill Road SW for northbound traffic and to 23rd Ave SW for southbound traffic. A long-term detour will be set up next week, directing traffic to use CR 115 near Jenkins and TH 371.

   All timber bridges built around the 1960’s have gone through higher scrutiny over the last year due to several recent bridge closures around the state. The County’s Bridge Safety Inspection team identified some concerns with the bridge on CSAH 1 and requested a review by a structural bridge engineer to determine the appropriate load posting of the bridge. The Cass County Highway Engineer received notice from the consulting engineer that the bridge pile had decayed to the point that the redundancy in the structure was jeopardized and the bridge needed to be closed.  The Cass County Highway Department has been working on plans to replace the bridge since last spring with plans to replace it next summer. 

   Please contact the Cass County Highway Department with any questions (218) 547-1211.

---