Mr. STALLINGS. No, sir.

Senator KERR. Thank you very much, Mr. Stallings.

Mr. Don Blair?

STATEMENT OF DON BLAIR, SUPERINTENDENT OF MAINTENANCE AND OPERATIONS, WHITE COUNTY BRIDGE COMMISSION

Mr. BLAIR. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman.

Senator KERR. Are you the man paid $8,500?

Mr. BLAIR. No, sir.

I am the superintendent of maintenance and operations. I assume you have a copy of this.

Senator KERR. We have a copy of your statement.

Mr. BLAIR. Yes, sir. I wanted to appear this morning to register a protest to legislation which singles out the White County Bridge Commission and treats it in a manner different from similar bridge commissions.

Apparently charges and accusations of misconduct have been made against this commission without the commission having either the opportunity to deny these charges or the opportunity to refute them.

The commission's consulting engineers, Hardesty & Hanover, New York City, have made recommendations for a program of modernization and improvement to the structure which is in line with the recommendations made by consultants engaged by the States of Indiana and Illinois, Sverdrup & Parcel of St. Louis, Mo., as the minimum. alterations to make the bridge physically acceptable to them.

This program is estimated to cost approximately $300,000. Within the last 12 months, $93,000 worth of work has been done and of this amount a balance is due the contractor of $25,000. Arrangements have been made to proceed with the alterations and, in fact, the contractor has been scheduled to move in today, September 21, for the recommencing work of the deck or roadway of the bridge.

Senator KERR. Is this work being done as a result of the competitive bidding?

Mr. BLAIR. No, sir. I can answer that question very easily.

The engineers have made what they consider a fair price. The bridge commission has not been able to ask for competitive bids because we are not able to pay a cash price for the work which is to be done, and the work is being done on a cost-plus basis, and the contractor, as I mentioned, has been holding the tab.

Now, if I may elaborate a little bit

Senator KERR. You do not need to. I just wanted to ask that question.

Now proceed with your statement.

Mr. BLAIR. Arrangements are being made to finance the installation of girder spans to the four piers which have already been built. These are 4 of the 10 required to substitute for the spread footings of the west approach.

The very high cost of maintaining the bridge is due to the following:

(a) The nature of the soil on which it is built is such that "spread footing" foundations have not been successful. The 41 bents which support the west trestle have been jacked many times and will continue to need this attention until replaced by the girders and piers mentioned above. (Note shim material in photo No. 1 attached.) Over 50 percent of them have been shimmed up in that manner, sir. (b) The bridge floor was poured of portland instead of air entraining cement and is attacked by snow and ice removal chemicals as well as traffic.

There are other structural items which I will not include in this report but would be happy to enumerate if requested to do so.

(c) The Wabash River has for the last 20 years been attempting to change its course westward at the bridge site. The bridge commission has spent over a million dollars keeping the river under the bridge by use of riprap, revetment and the excavation of a diversion channel on the east side of the river. The Army Engineers have spent $417,000 in two programs; one jointly with the commission of revetment to the west bank of the river and the other an independent operation enlarging the cutoff channel mentioned above. The U.S. Army Engineers has graciously acted as consultants in these hydraulic projects. (See photo No. 2.)

For the reasons mentioned above, we would welcome a full investigation or hearing by proper authorities.

We are proud of the achievements accomplished and we are willing to answer any questions about the bridge.

It is our sincere belief that there are no grounds for enacting the House version of the bill.

9 May 1945

BRIDGE, NEW HARMONY, INDIANA-WABASH RIVER. SCOUR AT BASE OF SOUTH PEDESTAL, BENT 36 (U.S.E.D
STATION 23+75) LOOKING RIVERWARD

WAR DEPARTMENT

File 17190

Senator KERR. All right.

Now, Mr. Blair, you said that you were going to tell me something a while ago, and if you care to, you may enlarge on that. Mr. BLAIR. Which one was it, sir?

Senator KERR. With reference to competitive bidding.

Mr. BLAIR. Actually, Hardesty & Hanover are the bridge consulting engineers, and Hardesty & Hanover have annually made an inspection of the bridge and told us the things which should be done annually to keep the bridge in good condition.

When the States of Indiana and Illinois started talking about taking over the bridge and making a free bridge of it, for quite a few years it was just talk, Senator. Then this committee was appointed by the two States which did the first real feasible thing toward the development of making a free bridge out of it.

They engaged Sverdrup & Parcel of St. Louis, consulting engineers, to make them an independent report.

That is the reason-let me explain one other thing as I go along. The tolls were reduced during this period when we did not know what the States wanted. But when this report from Sverdrup & Parcel was made, we knew what they wanted, we knew what the cost would be to do the job.

Tolls then were raised to be able to finance the cost. The bridge commission had absolutely no backlog because they had the 15-cent toll that paid for the operation and just the going maintenance.

Senator CASE. At the 25-cent toll, how soon will you be able to finance the repairs necessary to make the bridge acceptable to the States and to make it a free bridge?

Mr. BLAIR. We have done, as I said, $93,000 worth in the last 12 months, and we have paid all but $25,000 of that, sir.

Senator KERR. You have paid $68,000?

Mr. BLAIR. Yes, sir, and also we would have paid more, but our charges from our consulting engineers for the engineering have been around $15,000.

Senator CASE. How much do you estimate that you can apply to the repair of the bridge each year out of your receipts?

Mr. BLAIR. We have done $68,000 this year, and we ought to be able to do $75,000 or better, sir.

Senator CASE. $75,000 or better?

Mr. BLAIR. Yes, sir.

Senator CASE. And how much remains to be done?

Mr. BLAIR. We have done $93,000.

Senator CASE. Out of $300,000 worth?

Mr. BLAIR. Yes, sir.

Senator CASE. So that you have got $207,000 worth of work to do. At $75,000, you think you could get it done in 3 years and it could be made a free bridge in 3 years?

Mr. BLAIR. I hope so. Of course, the traffic-you cannot swear that it is going to maintain the same level, but that is an approximation.

Senator CASE. That gives you a little leeway. Three times 75 is 225, and you have about $207,000 worth of work to do; that would seem to me to be a resonable schedule on the basis of just this last year's record.