County crews replace undersized culvert on Solder Ditch under Ready Grant; bridge work next week

County staff reported Aug. 4 that contractors are replacing an undersized culvert on Solder Ditch at a road near the trailer park south of the high school under a Ready Grant project. A county speaker said, "This photo was taken Friday. So they're going to finish that up, and then we're gonna put stone down and then move to the main bridge on Wednesday. The structure should be here Wednesday, and that's start that, and it should take another week or so for that." The board said installers placed a much larger pipe than the previous pair of smaller pipes. Board members said, once the new structure is set, paving and guardrail replacement will follow. The location was described as Outer Drive off 69, just south of the high school, with the work occurring in a trailer park area and Solder Ditch about 100'150 feet away, draining under the interstate toward a nearby Ford dealership. Bill said the culvert had created a dip in the road that hindered crane access and required replacement; members said the Ready Grant covered the work and saved the county money. "This is all covered under Ready Grant. So this is the Ready Grant project," a county speaker said. Board members said they will monitor the bridge installation and the paving phase; no formal vote was recorded. One board member noted the culvert replacement is a first phase, and crews will move to larger bridge work afterward. The board did not schedule additional formal actions at the meeting; staff said the project should be substantially complete in the following one to two weeks depending on weather and material delivery.