This photo was taken in 1923 when the Cowskin Creek Bridge was being built west of Ava. The picture came from the Douglas County History book published a few years ago by the Douglas County Historical Society and was loaned to the Herald by Lonna Akers. The only notation on the picture is that Forest Camp is in the picture and the picture was loaned to the Society for publication by Lois Allen. The 1923 bridge will be removed beginning next week and replaced with a new, precast structure.
No sooner had last week’s issue of the Herald rolled off the press until MoDOT came out with a new announcement that the Cowskin Bridge project had been delayed.
Highway 14 west of Ava did not close on Monday, June 13, as previously announced, but is now scheduled to close on Monday, June 20.
Residents who live along Highway 14 west of town, and motorists who travel that area of Highway 14 some three miles west of Ava, can now expect the highway to be closed on June 20. The projected date for completion of the job and reopening of the highway is Aug. 3.
MoDOT said it was the contractor, KTU Constructors, that delayed the project.
Two other bridges in Douglas County are scheduled for replacement this year:
Route 76 at Beaver Creek, southwest of Ava is marked to close Aug. 1 to Sept. 14; and Route 76 at Bryant Creek, east of Ava is scheduled to be closed Sept. 19 to Nov. 11 for replacement.
These schedules are subject to change, however.
A third bridge on Route 14 over Fox Creek west of Gentryville is currently under construction. That project is scheduled for completion July 29.
Two other bridges in Douglas County, one on Route B near Mt. Zion and another on Highway 76 near Vanzant, have already been replaced under the program this year.
Signs are in place to indicate detours for the Route 14/Cowskin Creek project along Douglas County Route O, Route 76 and Route 5. Most local traffic will choose a route utilizing county roads, however, to get around the work zone.
The Route 14 bridge over Cowskin Creek, about three miles west of Ava, was built in 1923.
The old bridge will be replaced by a new pre-cast concrete box-beam structure. The new bridge will be 160 feet long and 30 feet wide with two-12 foot wide driving lanes.
As part of the Safe & Sound program, the road is closed where each bridge is being replaced or repaired. Closing the road enables workers to do the bridge project quicker, safer and cheaper.
