New northern bridge opens; county reviews final inspection and ongoing road maintenance

County leaders reviewed the final inspection and opening of a northern bridge project and received routine road-and-bridge maintenance updates.

An unnamed county official said a final inspection the previous Thursday found only minor cosmetic items for the contractor to remedy and confirmed the bridge opened to the public. A ribbon-cutting at the north end of the bridge was announced for noon the following day; temporary signage had been installed at Turkey Creek and Berry Road and the county plans to install a "Stop Ahead" and new stop signs to alert traffic at a location that is no longer a dead end.

The speaker gave a brief history: the original 1925 bridge was 122 feet; the state deemed it unsafe in about 2006 and it was demolished in 2014 at a reported cost of $128,000. The commission approved new construction in 2024, bids were approved in March 2025 and construction completed in October 2025. Meeting remarks referenced funding figures including a $2,100,000 allocation described as "aqua funds," an $1,800,000 procurement cost-share and a total project figure mentioned as $3,900,000 (the transcript presents these numbers in discussion but does not attach itemized budgets to each line).

The road-and-bridge report also listed recent work: tree trimming on Canterbury and Bradstone, cleanup and patches on Pisa Road, a crossroad pipe replacement on Hillsboro Road (36-inch pipe), guardrail installation in the Dallas area, completion of several contract overlays (Patterson School, Smith and Didi) with remaining overlays planned for Evonco and Westover, and preparations for snow/ice season including salt stocking and equipment checks. The speaker also noted some recent sign vandalism at several intersections and described operational steps to address it.

Commissioners thanked staff for the project work; no formal additional funding decisions were recorded at the meeting.