Lewis County approves temporary closure of Sergeant Road and accelerates rural arterial reimbursements

The Lewis County Board of County Commissioners on June 3 approved a temporary closure of Sergeant Road and an amendment to a Rural Arterial Program reimbursement schedule to match current construction timing.

The closure, described by Jeff Soderquist, Lewis County public works director, will bar through traffic on Sergeant Road while maintaining local access and will use a detour via North Military, Antrim and Fisher roads. Soderquist said the closure is requested for July 1 through Oct. 30 but cautioned “it will be a shorter window within that those dates based on the contractor's schedule.”

County officials also approved amendment No. 2 to the county’s Rural Arterial Program agreement with the County Road Administration Board (CRAB). Soderquist told commissioners the amendment advances the reimbursement schedule so payments occur while construction is underway; the county originally accepted the funding in December with delayed reimbursement timing.

Both items were moved, seconded and approved by voice vote, with the board recording the outcome as "Motion passes 3-0." The temporary closure was adopted as Resolution 25-151; the CRAB amendment was handled as part of deliberation items including Resolution 25-153 and related items.

County staff said the exact closure dates will depend on the contractor’s schedule and that the detour route will provide local access during construction. No dollar amounts, contractor identities or precise work schedules were provided during the discussion. The CRAB amendment was presented as an administrative change to the reimbursement timeline; the transcript did not specify additional changes to scope or funding levels.

Next steps listed by staff include finalizing the contractor schedule, publishing detour details to affected residents, and processing the revised reimbursement paperwork with CRAB.