Charlie Douts knows the widespread flooding caused by Tropical Storm Lee was a rare occurrence.

Still, if it happened once, it could happen again.

That's why Douts, director of Lancaster County's facilities management department, told the county commissioners Wednesday that when repairs are mapped out for two covered bridges damaged by Lee, engineers are going to investigate raising the structures by two feet.

"The water rose, and maybe some of the bridges had five feet of water in them," Douts said. "Every foot you come up, you get that increased velocity pushing against it."

The commissioners voted to hire Rettew Associates for up to $145,200 to design the rehabilitation work needed to restore the Siegrist Mill covered bridge that carries Siegrist Road over Chiques Creek on the Rapho-West Hempfield township line.

Rettew also was hired for up to $129,150 to do the same work on the Pinetown covered bridge that carries Bridge Road over Conestoga River on the Manheim-Upper Leacock township line.

Douts said raising the bridges won't guarantee they never will flood again, but it will put them in a better situation in future floods.

Record-high floodwaters on Sept. 8 swept Siegrist Mill covered bridge off its abutments and carried it a short distance downstream. It later was pulled ashore for restoration.

The same day, Pinetown bridge was shoved off its center line, but the structure stayed on its abutments.

Both bridges were built in the 1800s.

Douts told the commissioners he's been assured by officials with the Federal Emergency Management Agency that the agency will reimburse the county for the cost of restoring the two bridges — including Rettew's design work.

He's not certain if FEMA will pay the cost of raising the bridges two feet, which also would require grading the roadway on both sides of the structures to meet the new levels of the bridge decks.

"That's something we have to look into," Douts said.

If the federal government does not pay that additional expense, Douts said, Rettew can prepare a cost estimate so the commissioners can decide if the county should fund that work.

If the county must foot the bill, it's likely the public will be in favor of it.

"The amount of public support that I've heard to rehabilitate these covered bridges has been nothing short of extraordinary," Commissioner Craig Lehman said.

Design work and obtaining permits from the state departments of Transportation and Environmental Protection is expected to take about six months. Douts said he hopes to award construction contracts for the projects in July, with work commencing in August.

With good weather, that would mean both bridges could reopen to traffic by the end of 2012 or early in 2013.

preilly@lnpnews.com