WASHINGTON COUNTY (KFSM)- The Washington County Road Department is tearing down a partially-constructed bridge near Prairie Grove after county officials said they watched a video showing shortcuts were taken in its construction.
In the video, which is included above, Jeff Williams, the former Washington County Assessor, demonstrates where workers cut corners building the Stonewall Road Bridge. Williams said the video was shot on October 6, 2014.
"One shortcut that was pointed out to me," Williams said in the video, "Was the fact that I was told that instead of this reinforcing rebar going all the way down to the bottom of the structure, as it is intended to do, that in fact, [crews] built this structure, created this form, poured this concrete, and then simply drilled holes into the top of the concrete a number of inches and then inserted the rebar so that, in fact, only a few inches of the rebar goes down into the structure, the remainder of the structure is [not] reinforced with the rebar."
In the video, Williams goes on to pull out by hand each piece of rebar put into the drilled holes. Normally, the concrete is poured around the rebar to support extra weight on the bridge.
The video was shown to the Washington County Quorum Court Thursday (March 19) in connection to a civil lawsuit that had been filed in U.S. District Court by Washington County Road Department worker George Braswell on Dec. 19, 2014. Pressure from county officials to “save time and reduce costs” resulted in deviations from the design plans on the Stonewall Road Bridge, according to the lawsuit.
The suit names the county and several county officials, including County Judge Marilyn Edwards and Road Department Superintendent Donnie Coleman, as defendants.
Williams ran against Edwards for the County Judge seat in the November 2014 election.
County officials, including County Attorney Steve Zega, said they've never seen the video prior to Thursday's meeting.
"We made a mistake and we are [confessing] to that mistake, owning up to that mistake and doing our best to correct that mistake," Zega said. "It will cost time, inconvenience, aggravation to people who, I think, have been extraordinarily patient, and have frankly told us they want these bridges done, with good reason. The only think I can say to that is, with a bridge, with anything that involves life safety, correct has to take priority over fast and when we found out it wasn't correct, we're now endeavoring to fix it."
Zega said he doesn't know how much it will cost taxpayers to tear down the unfinished bridge and start construction over again.
Braswell's lawsuit also cites the Harvey Dowell Bridge on South Mally Wagnon Road between Fayetteville and Elkins as being “dangerously under supported,” adding the “structural integrity of each bridge has been significantly compromised.”
During Thursday's Quorum Court meeting Edwards put the Harvey Dowell Bridge under a three-ton weight limit. The bridge has been open since 2013.
In his lawsuit, Braswell also alleges he was harassed by Coleman and other officials about discussing his concerns and was told to quit "stirring the pot." Braswell is seeking an end to the harassment under the Arkansas Whistle-Blower Act and is seeking lost wages, punitive damages of an unspecified amount and more, according to the lawsuit.