A ribbon cutting ceremony is set for Wednesday morning to celebrate the opening of the new Hackney Bridge north of Ark City.
The event begins at 10 a.m. and will include remarks from various officials, light refreshments and bridge tours. Comfortable shoes are suggested for those wishing to take a tour.
To RSVP or for additional questions, please email [email protected]. The bridge recently opened to traffic several years after the old bridge, just off U.S. 77 highway on 222nd Rd., was closed due to structural issues.
The original bridge, county officials said, had served as a crucial link for motorists in the region since its construction in 1936.
In 2019, the Hackney Bridge was closed indefinitely when a wear spot led engineers to determine the structure was no longer safe for traffic. County Road and Bridge put up signs to close the bridge in April of that year.
It had remained closed ever since.
The railway overpass, which is not far from Strother Field, serves area motorists including garbage trucks that use it to access the county landfill. Cost estimates put demolition of the old bridge and construction of a new one at $3 million.
Salina-based Reece Construction Co. submitted the low bid. Federal funding provided for about $1 million of the project funding.
