Drivers lost a major connector between Clarksville and New Albany in February when the Blackiston Mill Dam in Silver Creek failed. The water flowing through it was aimed directly at the foundation of the nearby bridge, making the structure unsafe for travel.
Horacio Urieta, Floyd County engineer, said the bridge’s closure has made a big impact on residents.
“That bridge, in the normal schedule, is carrying about more than 13,000 cars a day,” he said. “So [it] hit the people pretty hard, because…the only way they can get out is go to the end of Clarksville, or I-65.”
But drivers could access the bridge in the coming months, if Floyd County Commissioners’ plans go accordingly.
At their Tuesday meeting, the commissioners approved an agreement with EcoSystems Connections Institute, LLC to remove the dam. That includes navigating state requirements.
“If all those [state] agencies sign off and the dam comes down and it's a repairable bridge, then it could be as early as May,” Commissioners President Al Knable said of a possible reopening time. “But if any of those steps fall apart, then it's just not going to reopen. We're not going to put people's lives in jeopardy for convenience.”
Knable said one of the stipulations in the agreement is that dam removal plans don’t push back the timeline on a replacement bridge.
Before the dam failed, county commissioners were already working on a plan that would replace the bridge that’s currently closed. Knable said plans started in 2017 and the structure is expected to be finished in 2027.
A few months ago, that project was estimated at around $5 million, with $4 million coming from federal funds. The most recent estimate is $8.5 million, and the county is on the hook for more than half of it.
“It has to do with inflation,” Knable said of the increase. “It has to do with the perception that tariffs may drive material cost up and it has to do… with the level of detail of this estimate.”
The goal after removing the dam is to reopen the existing bridge while construction on the replacement continues.
The commissioners’ vote comes as litigation continues with another low-head dam on Silver Creek.
The city of New Albany is involved in multiple legal cases focused on the Providence Mill Dam, also known as the Glenwood Park Dam.
That includes a lawsuit brought by the mother of A.J. Edwards Jr., a 14-year-old boy who drowned at the low-head dam last May. His mother says New Albany and other municipalities are to blame for her son’s death.
New Albany Mayor Jeff Gahan has fought the dam’s removal for several years, challenging a permit secured on behalf of River Heritage Conservancy, which is overseeing plans for Origin Park.
The city is also being sued on behalf of Indiana DNR for what they say was work done at the dam last year without proper permitting.
In August, around two months after Edwards’ death, Gahan had rocks placed at the dam to prevent the recirculating currents.
DNR officials have said they want the dam restored. The parties will meet for a hearing on default judgement in that case later this month. The United States Army Corps of Engineers has also given the city until June to produce plans for restoration.
Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County.
