Linn County approves engineering contract to pursue $2 million KDOT bridge grant

Linn County commissioners voted to authorize a professional services contract with Cook, Flatt & Strobel Engineers and to accept a $2 million grant offer from the Kansas Department of Transportation to replace the bridge on East 850 Road over Little Sugar Creek.

The vote followed a presentation by Kenny Blair, a project engineer with Cook, Flatt & Strobel, who described options for complying with historic‑preservation review and for reducing construction impacts. "I would say we would propose putting a similar handrail on the new bridge that matches ... the old bridge as part of the mitigation," Blair said, describing how architectural features and a roadside interpretive kiosk have been used on other projects to address historic‑resource concerns.

Why it matters: the existing concrete‑arch bridge is more than a century old and at the end of its useful life; KDOT selected the county for a 2027 letting that could provide roughly $2,000,000 toward construction. Commissioners authorized the county to hire the engineering firm to carry the project through the preliminary ("field check") plans phase so Linn County can complete permit submittals and get state review comments.

Key facts and next steps: Blair and county staff said the contract covers survey, preliminary design and utility research for a not‑to‑exceed engineering fee of $84,200. The firm estimated the county would be asked to pay about 60% of that fee up front to reach the field‑check (preliminary plan) milestone — about $50,520 — after which the county may stop work if historic‑resource or utility issues make the project impractical. "You can stop at any time," Blair said of the standard contract.

Blair warned that utilities and the county right‑of‑way situation are the main cost uncertainties. "The utility moves would be the only wild card in that deal," he said. County staff and the engineer said utility relocations, rights‑of‑way and the outcome of historic‑preservation review will determine the county's ultimate share; the transcript did not specify a final county construction contribution. The engineer said if the job stays on the existing alignment it is unlikely to exceed KDOT's $2 million construction threshold, but if the county must swing the alignment around houses or utilities the cost could be much higher.

Commission action and timing: A commissioner moved that the chair be authorized to sign the contract with Cook, Flatt & Strobel to pursue the KDOT grant; another commissioner seconded, and commissioners voted "aye." The board also authorized county staff to complete and submit the KDOT acceptance form (the commissioners directed Jesse Walton, the county public works administrator, to sign the required county acceptance form) before the KDOT deadline later that week.

Background and constraints: Blair said the county will need to complete survey and about 60% design to trigger state review by the Corps of Engineers, Kansas Division of Water Resources and other reviewing agencies. That review also prompts comment from the State Historic Preservation Office (the "historic society" in the discussion), which typically will not commit in advance and may require mitigations such as reconstructing decorative railings or adding interpretive signage.

What commissioners emphasized: commissioners stressed they wanted an opt‑out before spending large sums. Commissioner comments noted that the 60% field‑check cost is an initial investment to determine whether the historic‑preservation or utility issues force a more expensive option.

What's next: county staff will sign the preliminary documents, submit the required KDOT acceptance (the 13‑02 form), and have Cook, Flatt & Strobel begin survey and field‑check plans. The county will reassess and may terminate the work before further expense if the state or historic‑resource comments require an expensive re‑alignment.