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Howard County extends on-call contract with USI and authorizes design of two bridges
Summary
The Howard County Board of Commissioners approved a supplemental agreement extending an on-call services contract with engineering firm USI through Dec. 31, 2027, and authorized USI to begin design work on two flood-damaged structures that county staff plan to submit for competitive Community Crossings funding.
The Howard County Board of Commissioners voted to extend a county on-call services contract with USI through Dec. 31, 2027, and authorized the firm to begin design work on two bridges damaged by recent flooding.
County Highway Director Amber Dole told commissioners the extension — described in the meeting as “supplemental agreement number 2” — would allow the county to use USI for small-structure and bridge design work without launching a new procurement. “This just extends our current on-call contract with them until through 12/31/2027,” Dole said during the board’s department reports.
Dole asked the board to approve beginning design work for two specific structures: the replacement of Small Structure No. 49 on 680 West, which staff expect will be redesigned as a bridge because the new design will exceed 20 feet in length, and Bridge 25 on 775 West near State Road 26. “It is going to become a bridge because currently it is less than 20 feet long, but it is under capacity,” Dole said of Structure 49. She said both structures were “overwhelmed” by summer flooding and are priorities for redesign.
Dole said staff plan to start designs on both sites to determine which is the stronger candidate for a Community Crossings grant application. She warned the county that recent changes to state funding and Senate Bill 1 had made Community Crossings applications more competitive and reduced the local match available. “Instead of a $1,500,000 match, we can only ask for $1,000,000 now. So instead of a $3,000,000 project, it’s going to be a $2,000,000 project overall,” Dole said, urging the county to identify the most fundable project for the competitive 2026 call.
A motion to extend the USI on-call contract and to authorize USI to proceed with the two bridge designs passed on a voice vote. The board did not record individual roll-call votes in the meeting transcript.
County staff said the designs will be prepared with the intention of submitting one project for the October 2025 Community Crossings call for 2026 work and the July 2026 call for 2027 build-year funding.
The county also asked for a single signature from a commissioner on contract documents authorizing the extension and the design authorization.
Ending: The board’s approval allows the county to move design work forward this fall. Staff said they will use the designs to identify the stronger candidate for a Community Crossings application and return with contract documents for signature.
