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Oliver County commissioners approve BNI Coal overpass plan, forward file to Public Service Commission
Summary
After a presentation from a BNI representative, the commissioners approved a resolution restoring the August-approved County Road 37th Avenue SW overpass plan and findings, and will forward materials to the Public Service Commission for further approval.
A BNI Coal LTD representative presented revised plans for a County Road 37th Avenue Southwest overpass and asked the Oliver County Board of Commissioners to restore the board’s August approval and rescind a January rescission. The board approved the resolution and asked that the chair and the road superintendent sign the documents to send to the Public Service Commission (PSC).
The presenter (speaker 13) said the only substantive design change since August was slight realignment of a bypass road and a widening of an approach from 20 feet to 40 feet on the north end. He said the company had worked to secure easements and to respond to earlier requests from the PSC for more explicit findings.
Speaker 18, resident David Horsford, urged the board to consider lowering the bridge rise and said moving the structure a little to the north would reduce a four‑foot rise and ease local drainage concerns. The presenter answered that the planning and stakeholder process across multiple public meetings produced the current plan and that the design maximized height without losing drainage capacity.
Commissioners debated potential edits to the authorization language so both the chair and the road superintendent could sign; the presenter indicated he had the documents available for signature. The board then voted with a recorded roll call: Commissioner Husslone and Commissioner Burger answered “Aye,” and the presiding Chair likewise voted in the affirmative. The motion carried and the county will forward the approved findings and resolution to the Public Service Commission for next‑stage review.
The vote followed questions about traffic impacts, timeline and proposed detour lengths. The county engineer (speaker 11) confirmed the overpass and the bypass were being designed for a 45‑mph approach but said the board could consider posting slower speeds initially as drivers adapted to the new traffic movement.
Next steps: the county will sign and send the approved findings and the overpass development agreement to the PSC and will proceed to bid the project; construction start is contingent on PSC review and contractor procurement.
