Insurance holds up Hammitt work

By By Leada Gore, Editor
The headline on the top of the June 2004 issue of the Hartselle Enquirer says “Bridge work to begin in 2005.”
According to the story, state officials were near completion on agreements to replace the old wooden Hammitt Street Bridge.
That didn’t happen, of course. It’s now 2008 and the only thing that’s changed on the Hammitt Street Bridge is that it’s even older, even more dilapidated. It’s condition prohibits it from being used by fire trucks or school buses, something that’s really a problem in a city that’s cut in two by railroad tracks.
Every three months or so, the question arises about where we are on the Hammitt Street Bridge project. Why, residents wonder, hasn’t the city done something to fix this problem? Isn’t this a priority for our city officials?
Yes, it is. But there’s been more than a fair share of obstacles to overcome.
Any project has delays due to architectural work, obtaining rights of way, etc. But the city hit a major roadblock earlier this year when it learned its share of the cost to replace the bridge skyrocketed, thanks mainly to delays in getting the work started. Sen. Arthur Orr’s worked on the issue and that problem was resolved with an agreement to cap the city’s costs to $300,000.
Then, another roadblock developed. Due to a dispute between the railroad and the State Department of Transportation, the Hammitt Street Bridge project is on hold – again.
The problem centers on insurance. ALDOT requires a contractor to have up to $5 million in insurance before they can work on a state project. CSX Railroad, who owns the 75-year-old bridge, requires up to $10 million in insurance for anyone working on its property.
The two groups cannot agree on the insurance, so the bridge sits unrepaired.
Instead, Hartselle’s bridge remains unrepaired, held hostage by a disagreement over liability insurance. Hartselle’s not alone. Department of Development Chief Jeff Johnson said there are 11 other railroad-related projects throughout the state on hold because of the insurance issue.
Where does this leave us? State officials said the bid letting is on the calendar for the last Friday of this month. It will take three weeks to let the bid and then 30-60 days to award the contract itself.
Will work begin then? Who knows?
What we do know is the problem still exists – just like it did in 2004. Here’s hoping it won’t still exist in 2012.