HUTCHINSON, Kan. — A bridge that is heavily used by motorists in and out of the Prairie Hills Middle School neighborhood has been closed permanently.

The small wooden span over the Union Pacific Railroad at 43rd and Old K-61 was condemned Thursday after significant structural damage was discovered during an inspection.

Reno County Road and Bridge Superintendent Don Brittain says the main structure was rotted away to the extent that holes were showing through beams that hold up the road deck. Brittain says the span cannot be repaired, which means it is closed until it can be replaced.

The bridge was already scheduled for replacement, but the hope was that the span could stay open until that time. Brittain says motorists choosing to ignore the posted three-ton weight limit caused too much damage to keep the span open. Under a three-ton weight limit, the bridge was only strong enough for automobiles. During the inspection yesterday, Brittain says trucks with trailers and campers were still using the span even though they were well over the weight limit.

The closing means big traffic issues for the Buhler school district as cars will now have to use 30th and Lucille to come and go from Prairie Hills Middle School. It’s also the only way out of neighborhoods north of the school.

Brittain says the bridge replacement project is on schedule, but that still means an 18-month period where the road will be closed. Bids for the new bridge are expected to go out in November. The low bid will be awarded in December and construction should start soon after that. Once it starts, the work is expected to take 12 months to complete. That means the new bridge won’t open until late 2020 or early 2021.