Commission adopts hard‑surface road plan and agrees to apply for bridge grant

The Bourbon County Board of Commissioners approved a hard‑surface roadplan presented by county public works, authorized staff to proceed with the season’s asphalt and chip‑seal schedule and agreed to apply for a state bridge-replacement grant for a structurally deficient county bridge.

Public works staff outlined a multi-part plan: begin asphalt projects in May–June, follow with chip-and-seal preventative maintenance on roads surfaced in 2021 and continue work later in the season to accumulate sales-tax revenue toward larger projects such as Yale Road. Commissioners authorized staff to proceed “with discretion,” requiring staff to notify the commission of major changes.

On bridges, staff asked to apply for a state bridge grant (applications due May 23). The packet included a prior estimate for a proposed bridge replacement project at a location on Jayhawk Road (near 190th/200th); the estimated total project cost quoted in the packet was about $889,127 with an estimated county share near $85,000 (state would cover the majority under the program). Commissioners voted to submit the bridge application.

Commissioners discussed Yale Road’s prior subbase failures and the plan to rebuild its subbase with roughly 6 inches of road rock before asphalt paving. They also reviewed logistics for tracking chip‑seal timing and how to sequence work based on sales-tax receipts.

The commission approved purchase of culverts for ongoing maintenance and moved to monitor budget and progress as projects proceed.