Goodhue County board approves updated five-year bridge and highway construction plans, estimates about $74 million
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Summary
The Goodhue County Board approved updated five-year bridge and highway construction programs, including new bridge and paving projects and a five-year program estimate of roughly $74 million; commissioners discussed funding strategies and noted a recent County Road 11 bid that came in about 30% below estimate.
The Goodhue County Board of Commissioners on a unanimous voice vote approved updated five-year bridge and highway construction programs that consolidate bridge replacements, paving and grading projects across the county.
Staff presented the bridge program updates, noting three structures had been replaced since the last plan, one structure was accelerated to 2026 because of condition concerns, another moved because of funding constraints, and six new structures were added to the program. Staff also identified two 'LT10' structures (structures under 10 feet) that hydraulic analysis showed could be replaced and qualified as bridges for state aid eligibility. The presenter told the board that higher cement and material costs are limiting how many replacements can be completed each year, and staff will pursue state bridge-bonding and Local Bridge Replacement Program (LBRP) dollars and package projects to maximize available funding.
Commissioners asked staff to prepare visual materials for legislators to support bonding requests; staff confirmed bonding is one of the county's legislative priorities and said the county has had success obtaining LBRP and bond dollars in past years.
On the highway side, staff outlined projects in the five-year plan including concrete paving of a previously graded segment (referred to in the staff presentation as “Casa 2”), grading work on another segment (“Casa 11”), bituminous reclamation and aggregate surfacing on portions of County Road 50 being returned to township jurisdiction, and box culvert bridge replacements north of the village of Welch. Staff estimated the five-year program on the county system at just over $74,000,000 and described the program as a "living document" that will change with funding availability and market conditions.
Commissioners also noted a recent procurement result: a grading bid for County Road 11 came in about 30% lower than the engineer's estimate. Staff told the board that contractors may have sourced cheaper material near the project and that per-mile grading cost based on that bid was just under $1,500,000; commissioners cautioned that per-mile cost varies widely with culverts, approaches and other features.
After discussion about trade-offs between larger intersection projects (including roundabouts recommended by intersection studies for high-accident locations) and smaller safety fixes, the board moved and approved both the five-year bridge and five-year highway construction programs as presented. The presentations and votes were procedural approvals so staff can advance design and seek funding.
The board's next steps include continuing to pursue state and federal funding sources and packaging projects to best take advantage of bond programs and LBRP funds. A schedule for specific project delivery dates and procurement was not specified at the meeting.
