Public works panel votes to add steel plates and reopen Lavaca bridge

County highway staff told the committee a hole found in a concrete deck panel at the Lavaca (Wawaka) bridge required immediate action after DOT initially declined the structure for bridge grant funding. Staff described four options: go to bid for a seasonal repair (estimated $100,000 but potentially much higher), add additional steel plates to the center span and reopen full time (estimated $25,000–$30,000), add plates and open seasonally, or keep the bridge closed until grant funding allows a full replacement.