City Shares Update on Fort Crook Road Closure

The city of Bellevue provided some information on the closure of the southbound portion of Fort Crook Road South near Capehart Road.

“The south-bound bridge is scheduled for bi-annual inspections by the State,” City Administrator Jim Ristow shared. “At this year’s inspection, they discovered the bridge dropped approximately seven to fifteen inches. The concrete support under the steel beam eroded, causing the drop.”

An engineering firm was called in to do a deeper inspection of the bridge, and they recommended immediate closure for safety reasons. The north side of the bridge has remained open.

Ristow mentioned that the bridge repairs could take up to two years to complete, and a replacement bridge could add an additional ten years.

However, there is some good news. The city is working to check the viability of two-lane traffic on the north side of Fort Crook Road. Ristow also mentioned that these same repairs won’t be necessary on the north side. “The north side of the bridge was constructed differently than the south side and doesn’t pose the same problem.”

The bridge was the responsibility of Sarpy County until early 2023 when the city annexed the area. “We had surface decking scheduled to repair the rough spots,” Ristow said. “However, the bridge itself was found to have more serious issues. It’s over fifty years old so it has seen better days.”