Cass County advisory committee adopts 2026–2030 highway and bridge plan, previews Bridge 31 design and grant bids

The Cass County Road Advisory Committee adopted the 2026–2030 Highway and Bridge Plan on Nov. 17 after receiving an informational update on 2025 construction completions and grant applications.

The presenter summarized this year’s work: “To date, we are pretty much wrapped up with everything,” and said Conroe 10 would have a soft opening soon after crews finished signage and seating. The presenter told the committee that several state joint projects and mill overlays — including work near Tower City — had finished and been well received.

The nut graf: the committee finalized a multi-year program meant to sequence regrades, paving and bridge work around ongoing regional projects and potential grant awards. Members discussed the timing impact of flex-fund awards and how a project’s placement in one of three funding “buckets” (bridge flex, county-road flex, township funds) could shift a 2026 schedule into 2027 if awarded from a different pool.

Supporting details: the presenter said a joint grant application reduced one project’s local cost from about $4,000,000 to “a couple hundred thousand,” and reported the 2025 program was tracking roughly $1,000,000 under budget. On Bridge 31 (the bridge northeast of Harwood that has been closed since June 13, 2024) the presenter said soil analysis is complete, KLJ is under contract for design, early concepts show a roughly 550-foot structure (longer than the existing span), and a preliminary estimate remains in the $9 million–$10 million range. The presenter said the bridge was selected for a state flex-fund semifinal list and that funding looks promising but not finalized.

Members emphasized the local stakes: one commissioner said the two planned bridge projects are “the start of taking the Rush River from a rain gutter to a nice channel,” arguing the work will reduce flood risk for four townships and protect farmsteads. Another member urged officials to be prepared for political questions about geographic concentration of work and noted the committee had historical quadrant-level spending data to justify project sequencing.

The committee moved and the chair seconded the suggested motion to adopt the 2026–2030 plan; the chair then ruled the motion carried. The presenter said the plan remains subject to timing changes depending on grant awards and noted some projects will be re-sequenced if funding arrives in different buckets.

What happens next: the advisory committee will forward the adopted plan per the commission chair’s direction, and staff expects to have clearer grant award information by January that could alter 2026 start dates for certain projects.