Henry County reviews ROVO bridge preconstruction, Lewis Co. start date and plans to notify townships before culvert cleanups
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Summary
County staff reported a preconstruction conference for the ROVO bridge; Lewis Company will begin work Feb. 9 and the county may need to extend contractor insurance. Road bureau chief Dennis Bowers said crews will notify townships with a two-week window to clear culverts before county crews step in and bill townships; he estimated about 40 culverts may need attention.
County staff and contractors updated the Henry County Commission on bridge projects and a proposed change in how the county handles clogged culverts.
At a pre-construction meeting county staff said Lewis Company will begin construction on the ROVO bridge project on Feb. 9; county and contractor representatives agreed to four 10-hour workdays and noted the contractor’s insurance certificate expires May 10 and may need extension to cover the project duration. Zach and Lindsay Chapin provided project oversight; county staff noted the next BRO bridge (BRO R 042001) remains on schedule.
Dennis Bowers, the county bridge supervisor, told commissioners he will begin an annual inspection and cleanup push for culverts and small bridges and asked the commission to allow the county to notify townships with two weeks to clear culverts. "If you don't clean, we're gonna clean them, and then we're gonna charge you," Bowers said, explaining that the county currently sometimes performs work to prevent flooding but is incurring fuel and labor costs.
Bowers estimated the effort could cover roughly 40 culverts countywide and take two to three weeks to complete during the seasonal cleanup window. He said the county will charge townships for labor when they have purchased pipe from outside vendors and request county crews to install it, while retaining the current practice of free installation when the county supplies the pipe.
Contract management notes included a $10,000 change-order deduction the consultant said he would process and a weekly digital inspection/reporting workflow (APIA) to send progress photos and graphs to county staff so commissioners need not visit job sites daily.
What’s next: Lewis Company is scheduled to begin work on Feb. 9; county staff said they will notify townships and proceed with culvert cleanup and billing if townships do not act within the two-week notice window.
