Santa Rosa County road crews have been working since dawn to clear storm debris from area bridges, racing to protect the structures before another round of rain moves in.
This weekend’s storms threw heavy debris into Coldwater Creek, and much of it piled up at the Horse Stable bridge near the state park. By Monday morning, debris covered the entire width of the creek and rose over the top of the bridge, and inspectors warned it could have damaged the pilings.
Stephen Furman with the Santa Rosa County Roads Department said crews monitor the bridges several times a day and work quickly to keep material from accumulating.
“We try to keep material off [the] bridge quickly and as much as we can so it doesn’t put too much pressure on [the] bridge,” Furman said. Crews reached as far upstream as they could, stockpiling debris before it could drift back down into the structure.
Furman explained the danger: when too much material catches on a bridge, both the force of the water and the sheer weight of the debris can cause the span to shift. So far, the Horse Stable bridge does not appear to have suffered major damage, but officials want the water low enough to test the pilings before more rain arrives.
The ground across the county is already saturated and some areas remain flooded. With the National Weather Service forecasting an additional three to four inches of rain, Furman cautioned that places that escaped the first round of flooding could see worse conditions in the days ahead.