Chilton County officials signal they will drop joint federal bridge grant over steep upfront cost

At a Chilton County Commission work session, Road Department official Heath Sexton told commissioners that an engineering estimate for replacing the bridge on County Road 260 over Cove Branch — the structure serving homes on Lake Mitchell — came back far higher than initially expected.

“The estimated cost came out to uh 4.9 million,” Sexton said, and noted the consultant believed the crossing would need to be near 200 feet rather than the existing 30 feet because of how the stream meanders. He warned that federal regulations and administrative costs pushed the estimate higher and that counties participating in the joint Broadband Infrastructure Program (BIP) construction application could face uncertain reimbursement timing.

Sexton said the lead county, Lauderdale, coordinated a joint application among roughly a dozen to 17 counties and secured an engineering consultant to produce design and cost estimates. He told the commission the county might be expected to pay the project cost up front before any federal reimbursement was received.

That prospect prompted concern among commissioners, who noted the county does not have several million dollars available to advance the project. One commissioner summarized the room’s view as effectively a no; multiple participants voiced reluctance to proceed with an application that could require the county to fund the full amount prior to reimbursement. Commissioners discussed that the federal program would likely provide 75% of eligible costs and require a 25% local match, but that administrative and regulatory requirements could increase the total project cost and timing uncertainty.

Sexton advised keeping the bridge as a local priority and exploring alternatives — including local contracting options, phased work or waiting for other federal funding rounds — if the county opts out of the joint application. The deadline for the BIP construction grants was noted as Friday.

Next steps: commissioners signaled they will likely remove Chilton County from the joint application rather than commit to funding a multimillion‑dollar project up front; staff were instructed to retain the bridge on the county priority list and explore other funding or local solutions.