Cass County advisory amends 2026 road plan after $10.1 million bridge award, advances projects pending prairie‑dog funds

The Cass County Road Advisory on March 16 amended its 2026 construction plan after staff reported a mix of state and federal grant outcomes and recommended reordering projects to align with awarded funds and lower bid prices.

Kyle, road department staff, said the county applied for more than $16 million in bridge-related grants and was awarded $10.1 million specifically for the 31 Bridge northeast of Harwood. He told the advisory the award still requires approval by the legislative budget committee in the coming days before funds are secure. "We were awarded $10,100,000 for the 31 bridge northeast of Harwood," Kyle said.

The advisory discussed larger grant buckets (Flex Bridge, Flex Road, Flex Township) and statewide grant programs: Transportation Alternatives (TA), Highway Safety Improvement Program (HSIP), the BUILD grant and a large VIP grant pool. Kyle cautioned that several county road awards, including Conroe 4 and Conroe 10, are contingent on the county reaching certain 'prairie dog' funding thresholds that trigger additional direct distributions.

Chair opened a motion to adopt the recommended swap of the two Conroe projects and to advance two structure projects to take advantage of the funding and favorable bids. After a second, the clerk conducted a roll call in which multiple commissioners recorded affirmative responses and the Chair declared the motion carried.

Kyle said the county expects to use about $7 million less than budgeted this year across the bridge and highway line items and will add that to an existing approximate $13 million carryover. He summarized the budget impact: moving Conroe 4 (mill and overlay with shoulder paving) into 2026 and shifting the previously scheduled Conroe 4 work into 2027 requires no immediate budget amendment because of the anticipated grant offset and lower bid prices.

A resident asked about potential county paving between I‑94 and the Grand Farm development; Kyle said the route is on the county’s radar and that some awarded projects intentionally stop short of the site entrance to avoid immediate regrading work.

The advisory also reviewed township awards: Lynchburg Road received $1.5 million, 39th Street in Gill/Everest Township received $1.3 million (pending prairie‑dog funds), and Raymond Township was approved for a bridge removal. Kyle said some township structure applications were denied and that those projects will proceed only with local funding if required.

The meeting concluded with the Chair adjourning after no further discussion; the legislative budget committee approval remains the key near‑term step to secure the $10.1 million bridge grant.