County moves ahead on multiple bridge and road projects, accepts KDOT local-bridge funding

County commissioners on Sept. 9 authorized a series of steps to advance bridge and road projects, including starting the replacement process for the North Island Bridge after receiving notice of a state local-bridge award and directing staff to begin right-of-way negotiations for a separate Thirtieth Road bridge project.

The action follows notification from the Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program that the county was awarded funding for the North Island Bridge “in an amount not to exceed $3,065,000,” most of which the county’s presenter said is provided under the program’s state/local cost-share. Public works staff urged commissioners to move quickly to begin the replacement process and to use the county’s road-project sales tax to help cover local matches and related work.

Why it matters: the county has been moving several aging bridges toward replacement in recent budget cycles; accepting outside bridge funds reduces local capital outlays and shifts heavy agricultural traffic onto newer structures, staff said.

Commissioners voted to start the KDOT/Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program process for the North Island Bridge (structure and NBI numbers recorded in meeting materials) and to authorize the county counselor to negotiate right-of-way purchases for a Thirtieth Road bridge project so the design can be certified before the project is advertised for letting. The county also discussed a preliminary list of projects to be funded from the road-project sales tax, including an overlay on the west side of Seventieth Road estimated during discussion at roughly $250,000 per mile for about 6.5–7 miles (county staff estimated the overlay would be a little over $1 million). Commissioners asked staff to track committed projects and balances so future allocations are explicit.

Other project actions and details recorded in the meeting: a $754,670 engineer’s estimate was cited for a Thirtieth Road bridge right-of-way/let project; the commission approved payment application No. 13 for the Elk River/Neosho River bridge project in the amount of $232,567.54; and commissioners approved beginning replacement procedures for bridge number listed in meeting materials and entered into the Kansas Local Bridge Improvement Program. Commissioners also discussed using funds from the special-bridge account and the sales-tax account for related overlay and right-of-way work.

The presenters emphasized that the county’s participation in state bridge programs has allowed projects to move forward that would otherwise be beyond county resources, and they noted several other bridges remain in need of repair or replacement. Commissioners discussed sequencing so heavy agricultural traffic is routed to new bridges and will extend the life of other local structures.

The commission also asked county staff to keep a written, running list of projects proposed for the road-project sales-tax account and to return with more precise cost estimates and a suggested order of work. No specific construction contracts beyond the cited payment application were awarded at the meeting.

Commissioners and staff framed most decisions as preparatory steps rather than final spending authorizations: right-of-way negotiations, reimbursement agreements and design certifications were recorded as prerequisites before construction bids or county payments would be made.