Structural issues at a bridge that crosses the East Fork of Flint Creek in northern Cullman County have compelled an indefinite road closure along the rural route than spans the creek.

The Cullman County Road Department closed a section of County Road 1389 in the Providence area northeast of Vinemont early Monday, citing insufficiencies in the earth retention structure that supports the approaches to the one-lane bridge.

The bridge is not among the four water-damaged, county-maintained bridges that the road department singled out for repair or replacement last year. Rather, structural issues with the bridge were detected during a recent routine road department inspection, County Engineer Bryan Cheatwood said Monday, noting that the decision to close the bridge was made as a precautionary measure.

“We do not believe it is anything major, but it is something that we need to address,” said Cheatwood. “Our biggest concern was that it could end up causing damage to someone’s vehicle, at the worst, if it were left unrepaired, which prompted us to go ahead and close it.”

County Road 1389 is a short, curving, gravel-surfaced road that connects County Road 1142 to the northwest with County Road 1435 (Eva Road) to the southeast. Only a handful of residents live in the immediate area approaching the bridge in either direction.

Cheatwood said residents will need to make short detours along both County Road 1142 and County Road 1435 until repair work on the bridge is finished. “The repairs probably will not take long,” he said. “It’s just a matter of getting the work scheduled in.”