Saline County accepts bridge bid and approves $340,000 safety grant for Kip Road

Saline County commissioners on April 7 approved two infrastructure actions: acceptance of the low bid for the Cloud Street Bridge Replacement Project and formal acceptance of a $340,000 High‑Risk Rural Road (HRR) grant to make safety improvements on Kip Road.

County Engineer Justin Mater recommended accepting the low bid for the Cloud Street Bridge project at the Cloud Street and Gypsum Valley Road crossing. Mater described the planned replacement as “a three span. So it'll be a 54 ft span, 72 ft, and a 54 ft reinforced concrete…slab structure with a 30–32 foot wide roadway,” and said the wider deck will better accommodate agricultural traffic and reduce drift accumulation under the structure. The commission approved the staff recommendation by voice vote, recorded as 5-0. The staff packet identified funding from the county’s special bridge fund (Fund 125); the fund had an unencumbered balance noted in the materials.

Mater also told the board that Saline County was awarded $340,000 through the Kansas Department of Transportation HRR program to implement roadway‑departure countermeasures on Kip Road from K‑4 north to Country Club Road. He said the program covers up to 90% of eligible construction and construction engineering costs and that the county’s estimated local obligation is about $99,000 for the project, which would include guardrail at five bridge locations and sign replacement as needed. The board approved the staff recommendation to accept the award and execute the required project programming form (K‑1302) by a 5-0 vote.

Both items were presented as staff recommendations with standard alternatives (accept, accept different bid, or reject and direct staff) and carried unanimously. Mater said the bridge contractor plans to start work in winter and would have seven months to complete that project.