Iowa County approves box‑culvert vendor as bridge work set to start in May

Iowa County supervisors voted to approve a vendor for a county box‑culvert purchase and received scheduling updates for multiple bridge and guardrail projects.

The board approved what the minutes record as Rinker (transcript: “ringers/rinker”) for the box‑culvert work after staff presented competitive bids. Staff reported bid amounts from other vendors as recorded in the meeting: Midwest Precast at $119,358.33 and Weiser Precast at $115,200; a separate line listing a third vendor appeared in the bid packet. A motion to approve the selected bidder passed by voice vote.

Why it matters: the purchase and contractor selection are tied to several short‑term construction milestones county staff described. The county reported the box cover was to be delivered on May 13, guardrail work on B77 was expected to finish the same week, and pre‑construction meetings were held for bridge work on B Avenue and B44 (St. Johns Road) with construction planned to start in mid‑May and early June.

County staff told the board that delivery dates for precast elements must be verified with the county engineer and that staging and sequencing depend on those delivery windows. Staff also reported ongoing roadside work, spot grading after rain events and continued contract rock operations in the northeast district.

The board provided no further contractual details at the meeting (for example: final contract price, bonding, or start‑work notice dates) beyond the vendor approval and the delivery/ start windows noted by staff. Supervisors voted in favor by voice and the chair announced the motion as approved.

The county will return to the board as construction milestones and delivery confirmations are completed.