Ellis County commissioners remove Twelfth Street bridge from near-term grant plan after school traffic study

Ellis County commissioners agreed during a lengthy discussion to withhold the Twelfth Street bridge from a pending bridge grant application after hearing that the new O’Loughlin School entrance will steer most student traffic onto Twelfth Street.

The decision follows presentations Wednesday that the school district’s traffic counts and an updated plan mean the bridge would likely carry substantially more vehicle traffic — including school traffic — than previously projected, and that replacing the structure could cost an estimated $3 million to $5 million depending on whether sidewalks, bike lanes or other pedestrian treatments are included.

The change matters because county staff were preparing to submit a federal/state grant application that awards points for closing and removing bridges from the county inventory. County staff said including larger bridges can improve the county’s competitive score for a separate Saline River bridge application, but commissioners expressed concern about redirecting more traffic to a narrow, aging structure used by school families.

Ron Wilson, superintendent of schools for Hays, told the commission the district plans most student drop-off and pick-up to use the new Twelfth Street entrance once it opens, with busing and limited front-door access remaining at the Hall Street entrance. Wilson said the new student entrance and staging are not expected to be fully available for building access until August 2026, when the new facility front-of-building drive also will open.

County staff described the bridge as a 1940s-era structure with a narrow deck and no dedicated pedestrian walkway; they said pedestrians currently walk in the traffic lane. Staff warned increased traffic from school drop-off and pick-up could shorten the structure’s service life and escalate safety concerns for children and pedestrians.

Commissioners and staff reviewed detour distances should the bridge be closed for replacement: a local paved detour would add about 0.7 mile to some trips, while other bridge closures in the county would produce much longer, unpaved detours. Staff also noted grant rules require a bridge to remain closed only if the county accepts award terms; the county can decline a closure after award but that may reduce competitiveness for future grants.

After hearing from Hays USD representatives and from county engineers, commissioners said they need more time to study traffic impacts, possible traffic-control changes at nearby intersections and cost-sharing with the City of Hays. The commission reached consensus not to include Twelfth Street on the grant application the county was preparing for submission within days; staff were asked to coordinate with city traffic engineers, update the traffic study and return with options.

The discussion also touched on broader bridge priorities: commissioners and staff said the county is weighing multiple bridge projects — including the Saline River bridge and other nearby structures — within a limited capital program and that adding Twelfth Street to the current application could change scoring but also risk increasing local traffic and safety problems.

Commissioners directed staff to reconvene studies with city engineers and to revisit whether and how the Twelfth Street bridge should appear in future grant cycles once updated traffic and safety analyses are available.

The commission did not take a formal binding vote on bridge policy; the record shows a commission consensus to omit Twelfth Street from the immediate grant application and to return with additional analyses.