Neosho County opens bids and approves removal contract for collapsed North Island Bridge

Neosho County commissioners opened sealed bids Oct. 21 for removal of the North Island Bridge, which collapsed earlier this year, and subsequently approved awarding the removal work.

Road & Bridge Director Mike told the commission the bridge collapsed in early May and read the publicly submitted sealed bids in the commission room at 100 South Main in Erie, Kansas. Several bidders were announced, including Mission Construction and B&B Bridge Company; the bids were publicly read and then the commission moved to accept a recommendation and award the contract. A motion to approve the award was seconded and passed by voice vote. The county reserved the right to reject any and all bids as stated in the bid documents.

Commissioners discussed project funding and whether bridge-removal costs should be charged to the sales-tax-funded bridge construction account or other reserve funds; no further details on the winning contractor name or contract amount beyond the read bids were recorded in the open transcript beyond the motion to award and the public readout. The road and bridge director said the contractor will remove superstructure materials off-site and the substructure abutments and piers will remain on-site per the bid specifications.

Next steps: county staff will notify the selected contractor and proceed with contract award administration; commissioners discussed funding sources for removal and follow-up accounting actions.