County to assess bridges

Some county bridges might be meeting their end.

Cherokee County Council last week agreed to hire an engineering firm to inspect the 20 bridges built and maintained by the county.

Cherokee County Assistant Administrator Holland Belue estimated the cost of the study at $7,000. The study will recommend which bridges need to be replaced and the cost of the bridge replacement project.

"We just need to get an assessment to see if (the bridges) are feasible to replace," Belue said.

Belue said he's had initial talks with Spartanburg-based engineering firm B.P. Barber, but would seek study cost estimates from other engineering firms.

Finance Committee Chairman Charles Mathis asked if the study would increase the county's liability. County attorney Joe Mathis said the study would have no impact on the county's liability if an injury was the direct result of a structurally deficient bridge.

That wasn't Mathis' only comment on the issue.

"I don't know where the funds are going to come from," he added.

But councilman Tim Spencer urged council to move forward with the study because "you can't put a price tag on a human life."