Nez Perce County – Bridge Sub-Structure Inspections have been completed and the Lenore Bridge has been approved for work to proceed with temporary repairs. Temporary repairs consist of placing large steel plates over the damaged portion of the bridge deck. These temporary repairs will then be referred to Idaho Transportation Department Bridge Engineers for new evaluations which include new bridge capacity calculations. When Nez Perce County receives these new weight capacity ratings, installation of updated weight rating regulatory signage will be installed and the bridge will be open to traffic. Permanent repairs to this portion of the bridge deck are being scheduled. Bridge closures during these repairs will be provided to the public well in advance of bridge deck work.
These temporary repair steel plates have the propensity to become very slick, especially during frost and icing conditions. Extreme caution is urged when crossing the Lenore Bridge especially during the temporary repair opening period. Nez Perce County anticipates to have this bridge open to restricted weight crossing by 3:00 pm tomorrow November 17, 2022. Emergency repairs such as this can run into unexpected findings, which have the possibility of creating delays in opening. Please contact the Nez Perce County Road and Bridge Office at 208-799-3060 for the most current, up to date information on bridge opening status.
Upon opening, there will be enhanced enforcement of the posted weight ratings for the Lenore Bridge, to help insure that this structure can remain open as the main access to Lenore, Idaho.