Bridge Auctioned Off On the Courthouse Lawn

Fayette County officials auctioned off the old iron truss bridge on Haw Creek Road on last Monday morning, Aug. 9.

The auction took place on the lawn of the courthouse at 10 a.m. County Judge Joe Weber served as the auctioneer. The bridge sold for $5,000 to to Rudy Engstrom of Round Top, owner of RWE Construction Company. He was the only bidder, although six others attended the auction.

A new concrete bridge bypassed the old iron bridge in the 1990s. Engstrom and his client approached the County several months ago about buying the bridge. State law requires the County to offer surplus property for sale to the general public, even when there is only one interested buyer. That’s why the County held the auction last Monday.

“We’re going to move it to a private residence on Nassau Rd. and restore it,” Engstrom said after the sale. “I have a client who wants the bridge.”

Engstrom said he will restore the bridge to working condition. That project, along with the move, will cost much more than the $5,000 he paid for it.

Engstrom said the client plans to build a house, but a creek that occasionally floods lies between the county road and the future home site. Engstrom said the client will use the bridge for pedestrian and light vehicle use. Engstrom said his client plans to erect a plaque to commemorate the bridge along Nassau Rd. once the project is complete.

Terms of the sale require Engstrom to remove the bridge and all debris within 180 days. The bridge’s concrete pier will remain. Pct. 2 Commissioner Luke Sternadel said removing the piers could lead to erosion problems.

“I’m from here, in Round Top, and I used to go swimming underneath that bridge,” Engstrom said. “I wanted to do what I could to keep it from getting cut up and thrown in the scrap heap.”