Daviess County commissioners approve highway bids, grant commitments and multiple contracts

Daviess County commissioners on Nov. 25 voted unanimously to accept a set of annual highway bids, authorize bidding for a bridge replacement, approve several grant-commitment letters and sign multiple county contracts.

Chris, the county’s highway representative, presented the annual bids for materials and services, explaining that the county often awards multiple responsive bidders to ensure availability and account for freight differences. After the presentation the board voted to accept the annual bids as described.

Chris also summarized a federal bridge grant application for a bridge east of Ragglesville that the county has resubmitted as a replacement project. "It's a $4,100,000 bridge," he said, adding that the preliminary estimate of the county’s local match is $824,000 (about 20 percent). Commissioners agreed to sign a financial-commitment letter that will accompany the grant application.

The board also approved two safety grant applications for guardrails on St. Mary’s Road causeways. Chris described the South Causeway project with a total of $822,766 and the North Causeway at $596,357, both structured as federal grants with a local match (presented…