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Delaware County commissioners cancel New Life Ranch Road realignment after easement refusal, cite $35 million cost
Summary
Delaware County Commissioners unanimously voted to cancel Project JP 29344 (the proposed New Life Ranch Road realignment and related Bridge 99 work) after a property owner refused an easement and officials said the re-routed alignment would cost roughly $35 million; the board directed staff to pursue replacing the deficient bridge within its existing footprint if feasible.
Delaware County commissioners voted unanimously on Feb. 3 to cancel Project JP 29344, the proposed construction and realignment of New Life Ranch Road and associated work on NBI 14128 Bridge 99 over Flint Creek, after a property owner declined to grant a needed easement and the county concluded the re-routed road would cost about $35 million.
Commissioner David Beck, who introduced the motion to cancel, said the project—originally begun in 2013—became infeasible because of the easement refusal and the very large construction cost. "Because there was a property owner who would not give easement, ... the re-routed road would cost approximately $35 million to build," Beck said. The motion to cancel was seconded by Commissioner Jake Callihan and carried on a 3–0 roll-call vote (Commissioners David Poindexter, Jake Callihan and David Beck voting yes).
The board removed the project from the County Improvements for Roads and Bridges Transportation Plan and discussed next steps for the deficient Bridge 99. Beck said the bridge is deficient and the board's near-term plan is to replace it within the existing footprint where possible, rather than pursue the more costly realignment.
The cancellation clears the county from pursuing the costly re-route and shifts attention to a more limited bridge replacement and any remaining right-of-way or design work required to keep traffic and safety priorities on track. The board did not adopt a replacement schedule or a funding plan during the meeting.
The action followed a routine agenda and came after the board twice voted to open the topic for discussion and then to adopt the cancellation motion. All votes on the cancellation were recorded as affirmative in the meeting roll call.
What happens next: the commissioners indicated staff will pursue replacement options for Bridge 99 within the existing footprint and will update the transportation plan accordingly; no specific contract or timeline was finalized at the Feb. 3 meeting.
