The Dubois County Board of Commissioners voted Nov. 3 to authorize the highway engineer to submit an application for a federal Bridge Safety Improvement grant to fund guardrail and scour improvements on county bridges.

The engineer told the board the application window runs through Dec. 5 and that the project would be eligible for federal funding. "I'd like to request the board's approval to go ahead and submit that application sometime this month," the engineer said. The motion to allow staff to move forward carried without recorded roll-call votes.

Separately, the county engineer described design progress on Bridge 78, a 222‑foot, three‑span structure across the Patoka River built in 1969. Plans call for a latex‑modified concrete overlay, hydro‑demolition, semi‑integral bearing conversions, asphalt approach work and removal/reset of existing guardrail. The engineer provided an estimated construction cost of roughly $650,000 and asked the board to authorize a request to the county council to appropriate that sum from the county bridge fund. The commissioners gave consent to proceed to council.

Ending: The board approved the grant‑application submission and agreed to seek a $650,000 appropriation for Bridge 78 rehabilitation from bridge funds; design work is slated to complete late fall with construction expected next spring.