Walla Walla County commissioners on Tuesday approved several Public Works contracts to support road and construction projects and were told Federal Emergency Management Agency funding for the 7 Mile Bridge remains unresolved, forcing a delay in the planned bid opening.

The contracts approved cover routine and specialty services the county uses to keep projects moving. Public Works Director Dan Mack said the county selected Intermountain Materials Testing for on‑call materials testing after a proposals and interview process to support quality control on road projects. “We ... hire the inspectors to test the soil or test the rock or test whatever materials we're using for the project independently, and they report that back to us,” County engineer Joel Dickerson explained.

The board also authorized on‑call civil engineering services with Anderson Perry and Associates to augment in‑house design capacity during busy seasons and for specialty tasks; Dickerson said the firm will help keep federally funded projects on schedule. Commissioners emphasized retaining as much inspection and core work in‑house as possible. The board approved on‑call archaeological services with Harris Environmental Group for cultural‑resource work required before many projects, noting the valley’s long native‑culture history.

Commissioners signed a reimbursable work agreement with the Port of Walla Walla for crack sealing, pre‑leveling, chip seal and related work on port roads this year.

On project timing, Dickerson told the board that FEMA has not yet finalized funding for the 7 Mile Bridge reconstruction; as a result, the planned bid opening is delayed. “There are some other processes internally that they're gonna be going through before they're willing to make a decision, a final decision about the funding,” he said. A temporary bridge remains in place to provide access, and inspectors will monitor it; county staff said the funding uncertainty likely makes construction this year unlikely.

Public Works staff also reported that rock production at the Sims pit resumed after a May 20 blasting. Mack described the site work and said the county expects stockpiles for chip seal, base material and snow sand for future seasons.

The board approved each contract by motion with unanimous votes where recorded.