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County consultant: preliminary bridge repairs could top $10 million; state grant sought
Summary
ER Assist told Boyd County Fiscal Court that preliminary inspection of 10 bridges found repair or replacement recommendations that could exceed $10 million and that the county will pursue state bridge grant funds with a planned Dec. 18 submission.
Laurel Matula of ER Assist told the Boyd County Fiscal Court that an initial inspection of 10 bridges out of more than 100 county structures identified repair and replacement needs that could exceed $10,000,000.
"Just on the first 10 that we've looked at... the cost could exceed $10,000,000 on the recommended repairs or replacements," Matula said, adding that engineers rated three structures as "poor." She singled out a bridge on Midland Trail "behind big big reds" that the engineer estimates would cost "over 500,000" to repair and that the engineer does not recommend investing in a full repair without considering alternatives.
Matula outlined a grant-driven approach to the county's bridge problems. ER Assist plans to submit an application to the state priority bridge grant program on Dec. 18 and is prioritizing projects for that competitive, first-come, first-served fund. "There's only $50,000,000 to go around the whole state," she said, urging the court to have projects ready for early submission.
She told the court the firm will finalize its first report before the January meeting and will provide detailed draft reports to the road department and emergency management. For some bridges, Matula recommended closing or restricting vehicle access rather than immediately funding costly repairs; for others, she recommended the county use road department crews for lower-cost repairs while pursuing grants for larger projects.
Matula also discussed coordinating projects with FEMA repair standards to improve eligibility for federal funding and said two projects — South Big Run and Orange Street over Hoods Creek — will be bid prior to the next meeting and together total about $1,800,000. She warned that some repairs are not grant‑worthy if their cost is small relative to grant-seeking expense and said the county should consider equipment purchases funded through grants to enable more in-house work.
The county asked that the finalized bridge report be presented at or before the January meeting; Matula said the firm expects the first detailed report within roughly two weeks.
What's next: ER Assist will deliver its finalized bridge review and recommended project list to the court ahead of the January meeting and plans the Dec. 18 grant submission for the state priority bridge program.
