Work continues on Spring River bridge despite delays

HARDY, Ark. (KAIT) - Crews are continuing construction work on the Spring River near Hardy, building a new bridge to replace the old Humphrey’s Ford low water bridge.

The Arkansas Department of Transportation announced the new project in March of 2021.

Construction has taken a little longer than crews had preferred, but factors such as Spring flooding and relocation of utilities forced work delays.

ArDOT District 5 Engineer Stan Glover said now that those issues have been resolved, it’s full steam ahead.

“Now that hot weather is here and not as much rain, we’re back in there,” he said. “We’re about 40% complete with the job of a three and a half million dollar contract, so we still have quite a bit of time left.”

Though the work has caused slight delays, Glover said what they’re doing is necessary.

“When the river’s high, it’s underwater. So, if you live or own property back there, you can’t get to it from that direction. You’ve got to go through Cherokee Village to get there. It’s just going to be a permanent, all-weather bridge,” he explained.

Glover asks the public to be patient with the workers as they continue to battle the outside elements.

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