Rhino
02-05-2007, 11:30 AM
Bridge, free to good home
If you want it, state will pay moving costs
By Jim Warren
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
LAMERO - Thanks to a limited-time offer from the state of Kentucky, you -- yes, you -- could have your very own bridge.
Maybe not the Brooklyn Bridge, but a real bridge, steeped in real history, built in century-old style by skilled workers, and ideal for lending style and grace to your park, farm or country estate. And it's yours just for the taking.
Sort of.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet wants to give away the historic Ky. 490 bridge over the Rockcastle River on the Rockcastle-Laurel County line. The bridge will be replaced by a new span and torn down next year unless a new owner is found. Officials are inviting proposals from groups or individuals interested in acquiring the old two-lane steel span, and March 28 is the filing deadline, says Sandy Rudder, a Department of Highways spokeswoman in Manchester.
If you're selected, the state will pay for disassembling the bridge and moving it to a site you designate. You must agree to rebuild the bridge at your own expense, maintain it for at least 20 years, make it available for the public to visit, and post a surety bond. Whatever amount of money the state would have spent to demolish the bridge can be applied to its reconstruction and maintenance, officials said.
Admittedly, this is a fixer-upper. The bridge, built in 1922, has some rust damage and is under a three-ton weight limit. Most of the paint has peeled off, and rebuilding costs could be steep......http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/16618922.htm
If you want it, state will pay moving costs
By Jim Warren
HERALD-LEADER STAFF WRITER
LAMERO - Thanks to a limited-time offer from the state of Kentucky, you -- yes, you -- could have your very own bridge.
Maybe not the Brooklyn Bridge, but a real bridge, steeped in real history, built in century-old style by skilled workers, and ideal for lending style and grace to your park, farm or country estate. And it's yours just for the taking.
Sort of.
The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet wants to give away the historic Ky. 490 bridge over the Rockcastle River on the Rockcastle-Laurel County line. The bridge will be replaced by a new span and torn down next year unless a new owner is found. Officials are inviting proposals from groups or individuals interested in acquiring the old two-lane steel span, and March 28 is the filing deadline, says Sandy Rudder, a Department of Highways spokeswoman in Manchester.
If you're selected, the state will pay for disassembling the bridge and moving it to a site you designate. You must agree to rebuild the bridge at your own expense, maintain it for at least 20 years, make it available for the public to visit, and post a surety bond. Whatever amount of money the state would have spent to demolish the bridge can be applied to its reconstruction and maintenance, officials said.
Admittedly, this is a fixer-upper. The bridge, built in 1922, has some rust damage and is under a three-ton weight limit. Most of the paint has peeled off, and rebuilding costs could be steep......http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/16618922.htm