During the month of July, the Liberty Street Bridge in New Concord has been closed. The inconvenience of the bridge closing began when the New Concord Street Department officials called the Muskingum County Engineer, Doug Davis, to inspect the bridge. After the inspection, the bridge was found to be unsafe as it has a wearing surface with 10 percent of the planks needing replacement. The report also showed that there was major decay and that the last 2 timber stringers have no bearing and is deflecting under pedestrian traffic. The South Liberty Street bridge has received a significant increase in traffic since the closing of both lanes on the State Route 83 bridge in April that will be completed soon in the coming months. The question of who was at fault for the bridge being shut down is still up for debate, but it has been determined the responsibility if the bride just needs replaced, it’s the responsibility of the railroad. But if the bridge needs to be fully replaced, it is the responsibility of the Village of New Concord. That answer will come around October when a load rating is performed on the bridge.
