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Commission approves letting authorization for SDDOT bridge grant; highway director outlines $10M+ in projects
Summary
The Lincoln County Commission unanimously approved letting authorization for a state-funded bridge replacement and a $10,868 change order; Highway Superintendent Terry Floyd told commissioners his 2026 project list likely exceeds the current $6M budgetline and includes an ER mitigation bridge expected to be 80% reimbursed.
The Lincoln County Commission unanimously approved a letting authorization for a South Dakota Department of Transportation bridge project and subsequently approved a $10,868 change order to address a girder crack, the board said during its budget work session.
Terry Floyd, Highway Department superintendent, told commissioners the letting authorization (PCN09MH) stems from a 2023 federal/state bridge grant and will be let later this year for construction next year at full replacement cost. "This is a grant that we were awarded back in 2023," Floyd said, adding that the county must sign letting authorization so the state can proceed.
Floyd also asked the board to approve a $10,868 change order for preservation work on structure 42-020-201 to add stiffeners where a girder crack was too close to the end of the concrete. "It's $10,868," he said. The board approved the change order by roll call after a motion by Commissioner Arons and a second by Commissioner Otten.
Beyond those votes, Floyd presented a detailed 2026 project list that he said will exceed the highway project line that uses a four-year average. He identified an emergency (ER) mitigation project at a county spillway that his packet initially listed at $2.4 million but for which engineers' estimates and cost-share discussions pushed the county's anticipated outlay toward a higher figure; Floyd said the ER project will be roughly 80% reimbursable and that the county must front the full cost and seek reimbursement.
Specific items on Floyd's list included a bridge/mitigation structure (packet estimate about $3.32 million), a $1.6 million roundabout, a mill-and-overlay spanning several miles (under $1 million for one section), channel work estimated at $158,000 and an FDR stabilization project estimated at $385,000. Floyd said the aggregate of planned projects would push the 4292 project line toward roughly $10 million and that, after reimbursement of the ER grant money, the county's net new ask could be smaller but would still require expanding the budget line to capture upfront costs.
Assistant Highway Superintendent Jared Naram outlined equipment requests that accompany the project list: budgeted replacement of two dump/plow trucks on a multi-year rotation, a replacement skid loader and smaller shop purchases including a grapple bucket and a floor scrubber. "Usually on our rotation, our trucks are in the main fleet for 13 years," Naram said, describing the fleet cycle and lead times for ordering and outfitting trucks.
Commissioners asked about grant acronyms and technical terms (one asked whether "PE" meant preliminary engineering; Floyd confirmed it does and explained FDR as full-depth reclamation). Floyd said he will return with a five-year plan and additional detail in September and invited commissioners to visit the highway shop to review equipment and project plans.
Votes at the session were recorded by roll call; the letting authorization and the change order each carried on unanimous recorded votes.
