County reviews bridge bids, approves timber-bridge maintenance and local seal-coating contract

Delaware County commissioners on Monday reviewed bids for bridge 1709 and approved several county infrastructure contracts intended to preserve roads and bridges.

A county staff member announced two bids for bridge 1709: Milestone Contractors of Fort Wayne submitted $619,355.51 and Beatty Construction of Boggstown submitted $542,800. Commissioners voted to take the bids under advisement pending further review.

On bridge maintenance, the board approved a per-span maintenance contract with Hoosier Pride for the county’s 33 timber bridges. The contract sets rates at $1,900 for a single span, $2,400 for a double span and $2,900 for a triple span. The presenter said completing work on all spans would total roughly $81,700, but commissioners said they expect to use the vendor selectively and train county crews to take over some work.

County building maintenance staff reported multiple seal-coating quotes for the county building plaza. A local contractor with a Muncie address quoted $3,405.60, substantially lower than a prior Wabash bid of about $5,922. Commissioners approved the local quote and directed payment from the county building maintenance fund; the project will reconfigure van parking to meet ADA requirements.

The board also accepted a warranty deed for a Gaston sidewalk project parcel at a cost of $10,880.57, part of a DCRC-funded effort to install sidewalk from the Gaston town limits to a nearby store.

Next steps: the bridge bids will be reviewed further; county staff said they would prioritize the timber-bridge work and coordinate scheduling and training with Hoosier Pride.