Atchison County commissioners on Jan. 7 approved multiple road and bridge actions: a $9,000 contract for concrete work at a recently replaced culvert, a $179,826 contract for a concrete-slab bridge on Finney Road, and the opening of bids for Ottawa Road Phase 1 culvert replacements (award deferred to the Jan. 13 organizational meeting).

Joe Snyder, Road and Bridge superintendent, presented two contractor estimates for concrete work at the 200 Nineteenth River Road culvert: Wilburn Flatwork at $9,000 and S & M (Scott Myers) at $9,170. Snyder recommended the lower bid; the board approved a $9,000 purchase order for Wilburn Flatwork and Construction.

Snyder also described the Finney Road bridge — a heavily traveled secondary connector between 286 and 326 that county staff said would otherwise require closure. Husker Steel (later clarified as Norfolk Contracting, the contractor providing slabs and drawings) bid $179,826; the board approved the award to Norfolk Contracting with the condition that any additional piling costs be brought back to the commission for separate approval.

Snyder opened multiple bids for Ottawa Road Phase 1 (culvert replacements at 246 Road and 260 Second Road). Bids ranged widely; the board chose not to award that package at the Jan. 7 meeting and scheduled the award for the Jan. 13 organizational meeting so engineers could review estimates and staff could provide a recommendation.

Finance director Mark Seltner briefed commissioners on special-highway fund availability: he said roughly $1.43 million would be available after planned transfers and known obligations, and that the county had budgeted $500,000 for special-highway projects in 2025. Commissioners discussed traffic counts, priority of the route, potential grant opportunities and the benefit of precast slabs that can be set quickly in winter conditions. The Finney Road contract was approved 3-0; the Wilburn Flatwork purchase order was also approved 3-0.