Tuesday, February 06, 2007

Bridge, free to good home.........................tempting.

Sandy Rudder, with the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet, took a photo of the Ky. 490 bridge over the Rockcastle River near Lamero on Jan. 30. The historic steel span is scheduled to be torn down, and the state has offered to move it to a new site rather than scrap it.

Thanks to a limited-time offer from the state of Kentucky, you -- yes, you -- could have your very own bridge.


Maybe not the Brooklyn Bridge, but a real bridge, steeped in real
history, built in century-old style by skilled workers, and ideal for
lending style and grace to your park, farm or country estate. And it's
yours just for the taking.


Sort of.


The Kentucky Transportation Cabinet wants to give away the historic
Ky. 490 bridge over the Rockcastle River on the Rockcastle-Laurel
County line. The bridge will be replaced by a new span and torn down
next year unless a new owner is found. Officials are inviting proposals
from groups or individuals interested in acquiring the old two-lane
steel span, and March 28 is the filing deadline, says Sandy Rudder, a
Department of Highways spokeswoman in Manchester.


If you're selected, the state will pay for disassembling the bridge
and moving it to a site you designate. You must agree to rebuild the
bridge at your own expense, maintain it for at least 20 years, make it
available for the public to visit, and post a surety bond. Whatever
amount of money the state would have spent to demolish the bridge can
be applied to its reconstruction and maintenance, officials said.



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