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Sawyer County weighs replacement options for Connors Lake crossing as DNR review, funding remain uncertain
Summary
County highway staff presented two replacement options for a Connors Lake one-lane crossing under 20 feet, outlined contractor cost estimates, and said a Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) decision and limited state funding will determine whether the county can avoid full state bridge program requirements.
Sawyer County highway staff told the County Board that a failing crossing at Connors Lake—currently reduced to a single lane—will need replacement and that the choice of structure will hinge on approval from the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The county presented two options: a bottomless structure and a closed-bottom culvert. Highway staff said the bottomless option’s structure price was shown in their materials as $48,500 (structure only), and a later line-item in the packet that appears to include end walls and wing walls was listed in the transcript as “$97.07” (formatting in the record was truncated). Staff also reported a separate listing of roughly $59,000 for the closed-bottom structure (structure only) and said additional cost estimates of $5,500 per head wall and $3,300 per wing wall would apply if the county used those components.
“As long as it’s under 20 feet, we’re okay,” said John, Highway Department staff, referring to the threshold that keeps the replacement out of the state bridge program and its stricter federal/state requirements. He said the county must obtain the DNR’s blessing and planned to meet with a DNR representative the next morning.
John said the county prefers to keep the work out of the state bridge program because entering that program would trigger federal and state regulations and increase costs. He added that if the DNR requires additional measures—such as a hydrology study or a particular fish-passage design—those requirements would add time and expense.
Highway staff also flagged that there is currently no dedicated bridge funding for small structures in Sawyer County. “We’re kind of on our own right now,” John said, noting legislators have discussed possible future funding but nothing had been appropriated for the current budget year.
Staff told the board they have inspected county-owned small structures and found relatively few failures, but town-owned small structures have not been inspected and “could be hit hard” once state inspections proceed; the county spreadsheet sent to DOT listed about 101 small structures countywide. John said he hoped to replace the Connors Lake structure before winter but would return to the board next month with DNR guidance and a clearer cost estimate.
The discussion included practical project details: staff estimated an 8-person crew could set the prefabricated structure in about five hours, with subsequent work to pour concrete footings and finish approaches. County board members asked about water flow and fish migration through Connors Lake; staff said flows are modest but that fish do use the channel for spawning and that DNR is already aware of that fact.
No formal vote was taken. Staff said next steps are to meet with DNR staff, refine the cost and permitting picture, and report back to the board.
