Jackson County reviews funding scenarios for Ironbridge and Moorhead bridges

Jackson County supervisors heard an update on bridge projects Tuesday from Jayden Shekel of the county engineer’s office, who said the county has submitted two grant applications for fiscal year 2025 and is evaluating repair and replacement options for several structures.

"Last week, we submitted our applications for the fiscal year 25 raise grants. There was 2 of them, 1 for Ironbridge and 1 for another 1 for roadside safety," Shekel told the Board of Supervisors. He said the county will not know whether the applications are successful until late June.

The update came as Shekel described shifting federal funding and how that affects local options. "They decreased the funding by COVID hit…they cut, like, 90% of it," he said, describing a change in available funds that, according to his remarks, reduced an earlier total he cited from about $1,500,000,000 to $150,000,000. Shekel added that the Ironbridge application still scored well because the project is a deteriorating bridge rather than one tied to newer program priorities.

Why it matters: Ironbridge and Moorhead (alternately referenced as "Morehead" in meeting remarks) are on different timetables and funding paths. Shekel said the county already received $2,000,000 from the Department of Transportation toward Ironbridge and that, combined with routine DOT allocations and county funds, "we could make Ironbridge happen." He said that if the county wins the RAISE grant for Ironbridge it creates "a lot of breathing room;" if not, replacement is still the county’s intent but some project elements (widening, paved shoulders) would likely be deferred.

Moorhead is farther from guaranteed replacement: Shekel said he submitted Moorhead to the county bridge construction fund (the same $2,000,000 award level referenced for Ironbridge) and expected an award decision in March. If Moorhead does not receive county bridge funding, Shekel said the county may pursue a repair to reopen the structure temporarily while pursuing replacement funding. "There would be a consulting fee as well…it's a custom design for that repair," he said, noting repairs also carry limits: repaired bridges may still be load-restricted ("repair is still 15 tons"), which can limit heavy-vehicle access.

Shekel stressed timelines: even with funding, replacement typically takes years for environmental clearance, design and construction. "In a perfect world, if we get both funding sources, we're moving," he said, but cautioned that the process could be three years from award to replacement construction.

County next steps and public note: Shekel said the engineer's office will continue developing repair cost estimates and refined construction costs with consultants and contractors, and will move forward on Ironbridge using county and DOT allocations if needed. He asked residents affected by closures for patience while the office completes evaluations and awaits grant awards.

Ending: The board did not take a formal vote on the bridge items at the meeting; Shekel said the county will update the board as grant awards and consultant cost estimates become available.