Dean Street bridge work nears completion

The St. Joseph County Road Commission is wrapping up work on the Dean Street bridge, north of Centreville.

The process includes a step called post-tensioning, which was used on a Heimbach Road bridge last year.

Road commission officials said the procedure begins with stripping all pavement, pulling out pins that held the bridge together, performing the post-tensioning, refastening, then repaving.

Director of operations Michel Harris said the agency hopes to get 10 more years out of the bridge as a result of this work. The project cost more than $30,000, whereas a full replacement would have exceeded $700,000.

The Road Commission plans to post-tension more bridges, repairing them before they get to the point of requiring weight limits.