Black Hawk County approves bridge inspection contract, restores Pointer Creek bridge and accepts Oxley Road steel bid for review

Black Hawk County supervisors on Oct. 14 approved a professional services contract for bridge inspections, voted to remove temporary load limits on a recently rebuilt timber bridge over Pointer Creek and received a bid for steel for the Oxley Road bridge project for later review.

The board approved a contract with NBI Engineering Services LLC of Mount Grove, Wisconsin, for fiscal year 2026 bridge inspection services at a cost of $26,600, as presented by County Engineer Cathy Nichols. Nichols said the Federal Highway Administration and the Iowa Department of Transportation recently expanded the data fields required in the national bridge inspection system; the county must report more information on each structure and keep inspections on a 24- to 48-month cycle.

"They've just changed the entire system and process for entering that data," Nichols said. She asked the board to authorize outside consultant work to help inspect about 70 bridges and to assist with data entry for roughly 100–150 new fields per structure.

The board also approved a resolution to restore vehicle and load limits to the maximum legal limit on the structure crossing Pointer Creek on South Bordenway Road (FHWA number 75631) after county bridge crews replaced the deck. Nichols described the project as an "in-kind" replacement of an approximately 50-year-old timber deck, noting the new deck is 14 inches deep, has additional cross members and has been sealed to extend its life. When asked about expected lifespan, Nichols said the new deck should last "50 to 60 years." The restoration of legal loads followed the county's inspection and rehabilitation work.

On the Oxley Road bridge project, the board opened a bid and received one proposal from Odin Enterprises of Wahoo, Nebraska, for $20,815.60. The county engineer said the engineer's estimate for the steel item was approximately $18,000. The board voted to receive and file the bid and grant staff time to review bids on file before award decisions.

All actions above were taken by roll call vote. Supervisors Brandt, Leland, Birkenbach, Schwartz and Paul voted in favor of the listed resolutions and motions.

Votes at a glance: contract with NBI Engineering Services LLC — approved, $26,600; Pointer Creek load-limit removal — approved; Oxley Road steel bid (Odin Enterprises) — received for review, $20,815.60; board directed staff to review bids before any award.

Background: Nichols said staffing shortages in the engineer's office have contributed to the county's need for consultant assistance to meet new federal reporting requirements and the increased inspection-data workload. The bridge deck replacement at Pointer Creek involved in-house bridge crew work, added structural elements (steel H-piles and concrete encasement) and a seal coat applied to the wooden deck.

The board also set a timeline expectation that the purchased steel would be visible within several weeks to months and noted the work will help keep the county's bridge crew employed during the off-season.