Mason County schedules bridge and culvert replacements, multiple paving bids set this spring

Mason County public works staff told the Board of Commissioners they plan to replace three timber bridge superstructures and three culverts this year, and to advertise several paving projects and federal-aid bid openings this spring.

The work is intended to address failing timber bridge elements on the Beeville Loop and to replace culverts on the Bear Creek to Ottawa corridor. Staff said the culvert work will include raising the roadway where necessary and that some sections could be underwater in major storms until culverts are replaced. Work that touches fisheries habitat is limited to a dry-season window of Aug. 1–31 unless the channel is already dry, staff said.

Public works staff said the bridge superstructures—described as timber—are scheduled to arrive in August or September. They asked to bring project briefs to the commissioners and said they will send full details two to three weeks before each board agenda. Staff also said they will advertise closures, place reader boards and use other notifications ahead of work so residents can plan around detours.

The meeting also covered nearby paving and mill-and-overlay projects. Staff said Ford Road is slated for a 1.5-mile rebuild and pave next year. In addition, the county will open bids on the federally funded STP project from Matlock Road to the school and on the Old Olympic Highway project later this month.

Commissioners and staff discussed local traffic impacts: the Beeville Loop partial closure will leave alternate loop connections open, and staff said they have been talking with residents about the tradeoffs between repair cost and traffic volumes. Staff cautioned the full list of projects is large and not every scheduled item may be completed this year.

Staff also reported that timing for federally funded projects requires early placement on the state TIP so the county can begin NEPA and related approvals; one prior federal project took about eight months to move through local programs, headquarters and back into design. Staff said they are starting federal projects earlier to avoid delays.

Less immediate items discussed included decommissioning monitoring wells at the Eels Hill facility (staff said the county is reissuing the solicitation to expand the bidder list) and deploying a new striper machine expected in May.

County staff said they will bring specific contracts and bid results back to the board for action once bids are opened and evaluated.

Ending: Commissioners asked staff to post schedules and public meeting notices for the larger road and bridge projects and to coordinate with district commissioners to hold community briefings near major projects.