County sets culvert letting date, approves grader purchase and hears road project updates
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Summary
Muscatine County engineers set an Oct. 6, 2025 letting for a twin RCB culvert near 180th Street, approved purchase of a 2026 motor grader, approved a utility permit and received construction updates for Stuart Street, box culverts and bridge projects.
The Muscatine County Board of Supervisors on Sept. 8 approved several engineering actions: setting a letting date of Oct. 6, 2025 for Project LMO7737O (a twin reinforced-concrete-box culvert on 180th Street), approving the purchase of a 2026 motor grader and granting a utility permit to Eastern Iowa Light and Power Co-op to bore under Geneva Hills Road.
County engineer Bridal Harshowsky (recorded as Bridal) said the culvert project, located near the north quarter corner of Section 17, Township 77 North, Range 1 East, will replace an existing structure and that a late start date for the contract is April 15, 2026. He told the board opening the letting with a later start date typically draws stronger, lower bids.
On equipment, Harshowsky presented the purchase of a 2026 motor grader. He said machine prices have risen about 4 to 5 percent since the last purchase and discussed expected trade-in (promised buyback) values; staff indicated the machine list price discussed was about $1,011,000 and that a seven-year promised buyback could be in the low six-figure range (~$130,000 per staff discussion), though he cautioned those are forward-looking figures. The board approved the grader purchase.
The board also approved a utility permit for Eastern Iowa Light and Power (REC of Wilton) to bore beneath Geneva Hills Road at address 1983 to retire overhead lines, a permit brought forward by the county engineer.
Bridal provided updates on several county road projects: work on Stuart Street is progressing toward paving, with prep, rock and subbase proof-rolling complete in many sections and paver mobilization planned; a box culvert removal and replacement west of Kelly has begun with road closure and equipment mobilization; and a bridge replacement over Mosquito Creek on 155th Street (F-70) remains in design for a December letting that will be administered through the Iowa DOT. Harshowsky also noted that contractor scheduling and winter weather windows can affect final paving timing.
Formal action: the board set the culvert letting date, approved the grader purchase and approved the utility permit; motions were made and approved without recorded public opposition.
Next steps: engineering staff will publish the culvert letting and manage bid opening procedures, finalize grader procurement and coordinate the Stuart paving schedule with contractors ahead of winter.