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Adams County to close Bridge 31 to through traffic for two weeks; county updates road safety plan
Summary
Highway engineer Nate told commissioners Pioneer Associates will partially close Bridge 31 for deck and joint repairs beginning March 27 for about two weeks; Nate also outlined small‑structure inspections and an annual local road safety stakeholder meeting awaiting 2025 crash data.
The Adams County highway department told commissioners March 24 that a partial deck and joint repair project will close Bridge 31 (County Road 900 North over the St. Mary's River) to through traffic for about two weeks beginning Friday, March 27.
“Nobody is planning for a full detour,” Nate said, explaining that local traffic will still be able to access the area while through traffic will be redirected and contractors will install closure signage as part of the bid requirements. He added the department sent notices to media and school districts to alert bus operators and residents.
Nate also described the county's small‑structure inspection program: a six‑year rotation focused on structures under 20 feet (the county inspects 48‑inch diameter pipes and larger and rotates roughly 400 small structures per cycle out of more than 1,000 such structures countywide). He said the rotation and selective inspection policy are economic decisions tied to replacement costs for very small pipes.
On road safety, Nate said the Local Road Safety Plan would establish an annual stakeholder meeting including commissioners, the highway department and the sheriff's office to review crash data and prioritize projects. He said the plan is awaiting updated 2025 crash‑tree data before finalizing and that the stakeholder meeting would be a regular open meeting rather than an executive session.
Ending: Commissioners accepted the highway report; no further action was taken beyond directing staff to continue communications about closures and to bring updated crash data when available.
