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County engineer details road and bridge work; one historic bridge may require removal
Summary
Muscatine County engineer provided project updates on pavement removal and paving, a box culvert and several bridge projects, and said Bridge 237 on Bancroft may require additional analysis including possible removal.
Bridal Rachowski, Muscatine County engineer, updated the Board of Supervisors on construction and design work during the Oct. 20, 2025 regular meeting, outlining ongoing pavement work, culvert and bridge projects and a potential significant effort around Bridge 237 on Bancroft.
Rachowski said crews are working on pavement removal on Stewart Road from about Street Toys north to 409th Street and that paving may occur late the week of Oct. 20 or early the following week. He also reported work on a box culvert on A Hundred and Second Street and design progress for a bridge on F 58 east of Wilton; the F 58 bridge project will require railroad coordination and is proceeding through historical clearances.
On Bridge 237, described in the meeting as south of County Road 22 and west of Nichols (on Bancroft), Rachowski said the structure is "fairly structurally significant" and "one of a kind in the state." He told supervisors the county may need to consider removing it, realigning the road and other alternatives and that analysis of costs and benefits would be required. He said the county will work with the local historical society as part of that evaluation.
Rachowski gave an update on project LMO77370 (a twin reinforced concrete box culvert on A Hundred and Eightieth Street), noting the county had received contract documents and recommended approval; the board later approved those documents by voice vote. He told the board the contractor hoped for a quick turnaround and potentially to start this year.
Rachowski said the bridge replacement projects and roadway work involve multiple steps and external coordination, including railroad involvement for certain sites. He said clearances for historical and other required reviews have been obtained for at least one project and that design work is ongoing.
The engineer said the county will evaluate options for Bridge 237 — including removal, relocation (which he said is unlikely for this bridge type) or leaving it in place and realigning the roadway — and will return to the board with cost estimates and recommended options.
Supervisors asked procedural questions about timing and were told staff will gather costs and options for board consideration.
