Louisa County approves plans and specs for local bridge repairs

The Louisa County Board of Supervisors on Oct. 28 approved plans and specifications for multiple local-bridge repairs and authorized staff to proceed to bid letting.

The action covered plans identified as LLAC 050 and included repairs on County Road locations cited in staff materials. County engineering staff reported the DOT bid letting for a bridge over Smith Creek returned a low bid of $895,000 against an engineer estimate of $970,000; the engineer projected construction would likely start in late winter and run three to four months. The county engineer said work would include a single-span precast unit for one crossing and that other local repairs would be scheduled when contractors are available.

The motion to approve the plans and specifications was moved and seconded during the meeting; the board recorded a voice vote with all members saying “Aye.” No individual roll-call tally was read into the record.

County engineering staff described further bridge repairs on Q Avenue (north of Virginia Grove) and on X Avenue (west of X 17, north of Carter). Staff estimated installation costs for individual installations in the $55,000–$75,000 range per site for some work, and said the set of local repairs being packaged for bid would exceed $400,000 in total. For the Smith Creek project specifically, staff said they expect a three- to four-month construction window and that some roads may be closed one to two weeks during repair activities.

Staff also noted typical construction methods: placing steel beams, cutting holes in decks where needed and patching afterward, and that contractors already working in the area may bid on the December letting. The board did not set a strict completion date and said final schedules will depend on contractor availability.

The approval directs staff to publish the plans and proceed with the bid letting process.