Osage County signs engineering agreement for Fisher Bridge project; state to fund roughly 80%

Osage County commissioners approved signing an engineering agreement for repair or replacement of Fisher Bridge (K. Bridge 61), a small bridge off Superior Road that county staff said the state selected for funding.

County staff presented a standard engineering contract for signatures. The commissioners moved and seconded a motion to authorize signing the agreement; the motion carried and the chair signed the document on the meeting record.

Staff said the project is in early design stages and that state funding will cover the majority of the cost under an approximately 80/20 state/local split. The county will retain ownership of the property after right-of-way and construction work and staff told commissioners that design and letting schedules anticipate moving forward on plans and permitting; staff said funding runs through 2027 and that letting for related work near other county bridges (including one by Burlingame) is tied to schedules for moving utilities.

Commissioners asked whether county counsel or county engineering staff needed to review the agreement; staff described the agreement as a standard contract that the county has used before. No additional conditions were recorded in the meeting minutes.

Why it matters: state funding reduces the county’s upfront capital obligation for a local bridge used by residents; moving the project forward into design begins a multiyear process that includes right-of-way, utility relocation and construction letting.

What to watch for next: staff said design will proceed now that signatures are on the agreement and that letting and utility coordination timelines will be reported as design advances.