Walsh County discusses bridge grants, construction updates and pressure on township roads

Walsh County commissioners spent a large portion of their Oct. 7 meeting reviewing bridge grant applications, construction progress on three county bridge projects and the financial strain of adding township roads to the county system.

County planner Jason (staff member) told the board that township, county and city applicants had requested more than half a billion dollars from a statewide set of bridge and flex funds. "The request is for $517,789,834.78," he said, and noted available funding was substantially less. Jason said the flex-fund and bridge applications had been submitted in separate rounds and that the county expects final funding notices in December.

Why it matters: commissioners and staff said Walsh County has many structurally important bridges and limited local resources. Taking on additional township roads would increase gravel miles the county must maintain and require new equipment or operators, officials warned — a recurring local funding and maintenance challenge.

County Highway Superintendent Lloyd (staff member) updated the board on construction: the Swanson and Mintel bridges have had concrete pours completed and contractors are stripping and grading; a different contractor will install a box culvert on a third structure next week. He said both the Swanson and Mintel bridges should be open "in a couple weeks" pending finishing work and guardrail installation. Lloyd confirmed a contractor that had repeatedly missed work on an earlier project was subcontracting the remaining work; the county will pursue contract remedies for earlier delays.

Commissioners and staff discussed statewide grant buckets and competition for funds. Jason said there were 184 township, 120 county and 106 city applications statewide and that the total requested after administrative deductions was $517,789,834.78. He said roughly $200,800,000 was available in one major bucket and that a separate bridge pool had about $45,000,000; a Prairie DOT fund noted by staff was an $80,000,000 pool for subsequent submittals.

Several commissioners pressed staff on operational impacts if the county takes over township roads. Staff cautioned that adding miles is not just a line-item decision: it increases the county’s gravel and blading workload across dozens of townships and can require another machine and operator. As staff put it, adding 144 miles (an example used in the meeting) of gravel would require at least one additional machine and operator the county cannot presently fund without taking personnel from other work.

Township maintenance and grant timing also drove debate. Staff and commissioners urged townships to coordinate on corridor roads and to pursue available grants. Commissioners and staff said many state grant rounds are announced in the fall, creating a short window for design and bidding before winter; that timing complicates township participation because local officers and volunteers are busiest during harvest season.

Public comment illustrated local frustration. Resident Gerald Wazinski told the board he and other landowners could not reach their property because a township road had not been graveled for six or seven years and said, "If they don't wanna take care of the road, they should close it." County staff replied that the road is under township jurisdiction and noted township officers can close township roads but enforcement and practical access remain problems.

Other operational details and concerns raised at the meeting: - The county has roughly 487 structures on the bridge list the highway office monitors; inspections currently cost about $1,000 per inspection in some cases. - Staff urged townships to pick main corridor routes to prioritize for gravel and maintenance to best use limited grant dollars. - Where township roads do not provide maintained access to a structurally sound bridge, staff said it may be appropriate to remove the bridge rather than continue high inspection and maintenance costs for an inaccessible structure.

What’s next: staff said they will continue submitting cost estimates and will report back after December funding decisions. Commissioners asked staff to push for clearer timelines from state programs and to encourage townships to collaborate on corridor projects and grant applications.

Ending: commissioners did not vote on any change to the county road system at the Oct. 7 meeting; they instructed staff to continue outreach to townships and to bring specific road-addition requests back for formal consideration when submitted.