Jul. 5—GRAND FORKS — As the state increases inspection requirements for bridges during high-water events, Grand Forks County Engineer Nick West’s goal is to get as many bridges rehabilitated as soon as possible.
The biggest goal is getting bridges off Classification A, which
requires an inspection every 24 hours during flood events.
“The Category A, where we inspect every day — that is a problem,” West said. “To go to a bridge every single day and look at it to make sure it’s OK is a lot, and we have 12 on that list.”
Over the next several years, West and his team will work to get those bridges off the list. To get off Category A, some of the bridges need to be completely replaced and others just need to be rehabilitated with scour prevention material. West said he’s still in the process of figuring out logistics for high-water inspections and what, exactly, constitutes a high-water event.
Typically, those events would be an issuance of a warning from the National Weather Service, but whether that means just in the specific warning area or the entire county is a question. Since the new inspection requirements, there hasn’t yet been a high-water event in the county.
Often, the biggest limiting factors in addressing bridge issues are time and money. There are limited funds available each year to address concerns, and fewer people are qualified to inspect the structures.
“We don’t have enough funds to drop everything we’re doing and fix them all,” West said. “That’s not possible. There’s not enough money for it.”
The 12 bridges on Classification A are considered by the state to be scour critical, meaning the structure has issues with erosion. One already has been removed since the list
was presented to the Grand Forks County Commission over the winter.
“I know some of these bridges literally just need some rock,” West said. “They just need something underneath to keep it from scouring worse.”
Since being presented to the Grand Forks County Commission in December, one bridge has been removed from the list. Two others are scheduled to be replaced in the next two years and one completely removed. The other eight are in the process of having additional supports or rip-rap material added.
Grand Forks County has more bridges than any other county in North Dakota. In total, the county has more than 250 bridges,
with around 160 requiring additional inspections
, but all are regularly inspected every four years.
For those needing additional inspections during high-water events, there are three categories of scour concern. Category A, the bridges of most concern, require inspections every 24 hours during flood events. Category B, bridges of moderate concern, require inspections once a week during flood events. Category C, bridges of least concern, are inspected at their next regular inspection after a flood event.
Over time, West’s goal is to simply reduce the total number of bridges owned and maintained by the county.
“They will still be a structure, but they won’t be a bridge,” West said. “They’ll just be a large culvert.”
Unlike a traditional bridge, a culvert is a large pipe that goes under the road, allowing water to flow through. Designs vary, but many of the bridges needing replacement will be replaced by box culverts. According to Grand Forks County Highway Department plans, bridges on the list slated for replacement will likely occur in 2026. One bridge near Thompson will be removed completely, and the other eight will have rock and armor added to prevent scouring.
In the meantime, issues can still arise when people don’t obey weight and traffic restrictions placed on deficient structures. Addressing those deficiencies is a priority for West, but again, there are funding and staff limitations.
“Things are getting done and they’re getting done appropriately,” West said. “They’re following the letter of the law from the federal government.”
While that is happening, the county highway
department is looking at updating spring load limits on county roads.
The county hasn’t done a complete overhaul of the spring load limits in more than 40 years. The county updated some of the limits just outside the city of Grand Forks in 2024.
“We really got an eye-opening experience with what the roads could be,” West said. “I know some of it is outdated and some of the roads have improved to a point where the same limit isn’t required anymore.”
Those new limits likely will go into effect next spring. The county
will be conducting a $200,000 pavement study throughout this summer
and West will make a recommendation to the County Commission for updated limits sometime in the winter.