By GAYLE WEBER

gweber@dailynews.net

A bridge 1.5 miles east of Walker could force the closure of a portion of Old U.S. Highway 40 next year.

John Halbgewachs, vice president of Kirkham Michael, an engineering company in Ellsworth, told Ellis County commissioners Monday about the repair options for the bridge, which was built in 1949.

"The best way to address the issue is to replace the approach slabs and relief joints," Halbgewachs said. The repairs are expected to take about two months.

He said the county could decide to close one lane at a time and use traffic signals or close Old 40 for a stretch and re-route traffic to Interstate 70.

"When we get the cost estimate, then we can check with re-routing the traffic through (Interstate) 70. I would be more in favor of that and getting it completed," Chairman Dennis Pfannenstiel said.

The county will need approval from the Kansas Department of Transportation to detour traffic onto I-70 from Walker to Gorham.

Halbgewachs said temporary traffic signals could cost up to $20,000 on top of project costs.

"The deck itself isn't in too bad of shape. It's a relatively old bridge. It has some deterioration, some cracking," Halbgewachs said. "If you're going to do a deck seal, you'll have to do that in warm weather anyway."

No money was added into the 2009 budget for the project because neither Halbgewachs nor Public Works Administrator Mike Graf could give an estimate for the bridge repair. Commissioners expect they will delay purchase on a piece of equipment for Graf's department next year in order to pay for the repairs.

The county still needs to decide whether to do the work themselves or contract it out. Halbgewachs will be working on a cost and time estimate for the project.

"It's nothing of immediate concern as far as the bridge failing or anything like that, but you would want to consider relieving that pressure at some point," Halbgewachs said.

In other business:

* Commissioners opened bids for a new wireless 911 mapping system. Lieutenant of Communications Oveta Ford will consider the three proposals before making a recommendation to the board.

Ford received a grant for the project, and the bids came in within the range of that. Any additional money needed for the new mapping system will be taken out of the cellular 911 fund.

* The 2009 mill levy was set at 36.33 mills, down 1 mill from last year.

* Commissioners awarded a bid of $29,500 to Penco Engineering, Plainville, for design of a bridge a mile south of Ellis.

* Rural Fire Chief Dick Klaus said his department could be without one of its trucks for another 100 days or more while waiting on parts for a transfer case.

Klaus said he would look into the cost of replacing the entire transfer case instead of just parts in order to get it back in working order quicker.

* Health Administrator Butch Schlyer said progress was being made on a nuisance complaint in Munjor. The landowner has cleaned up much of the property, but the rest of the problem will not be taken care of until next year.