Settlement reached on damages from the Dahly Bridge collapse

(Photo by decorahnews.com's Paul Scott on May 5th, 2017)

Winneshiek County and the insurance company for Sinclair Elevator have reached agreement on a settlement for damages done in the collapse of the Dahly Bridge over the Upper Iowa River when a grain truck weighing over 30 tons crossed the three ton weight limit bridge.

The agreement calls for a payment to Winneshiek County of $140,000.  The settlement--agreed to by both sides--states "the payment made hereunder is not to be construed as an admission of liability on the part of the party or parties."

A driver for Sinclair Elevator, 29-year-old Justin Hippen of Parkersburg, admitted that his semi was 54,700 pounds over the posted weight limit when he drove across the Dahly Bridge the morning of May 5th last year.  Hippen  entered a guilty plea to a charge of violating a weight embargo and to a lesser charge of failure to obey a bridge embargo.  The two charges drew a combined fine of $1,577.14 plus court costs.

County highway staffers have been working on designing a bridge to replace Dahly Bridge.  They're hoping for a bid opening in April, with work to begin next summer. 

The new bridge is expected to cost around $1 million.  It will not cost any direct local property tax money.  That's because $828,000 has been pledged from the State of Iowa's bridge fund, additional funds from federal bridge replacement funds and now the funds from the insurance settlement.