Page 89 - 2021 Sustainability Report

COMMUNITY WELL-BEING

While Fremont County, Colorado owned the bridge, Martin Marietta had responsibility for maintaining the structure.
Though more than $75,000 had been spent to maintain the bridge in the decade before, state regulators told the
Company in 2019 that the bridge would need substantial improvements should it continue to be used for quarry
business.
“Basically, we were told that we would need to make significant upgrades, but that afterward, state engineers still
wouldn’t be able to confirm its capacity,” Sheahan said. “Given that and the other problems we had experienced related
to its width, we decided we should work toward a more functional, more current solution.” While West Division
leadership had few qualms about building a new bridge for the quarry, the question remained: What would become of
the original 100-year-old structure?

“Over the years, the bridge had been identified as having significant historical value, and it was nominated several times
for inclusion on the Colorado State Register of Historic Properties,” Sheahan said. “When we took over responsibility, we
did so with the understanding that we would need to handle it as required by state laws pertaining to the preservation of
historical structures.”
Knowing the bridge could still be of use elsewhere and keeping to an agreement Martin Marietta had made with the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers and the State Historical Preservation Office, Sheahan sought to find a new owner for the
structure by placing an ad in the local newspaper. While the offer came with few conditions, preference was given to
local parties as well as those most capable of maintaining the bridge’s historic value, Sheahan said. Additionally, whoever
took ownership of the bridge would have to transport and place it at their own expense.

MARTIN MARIETTA 87