Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Bridges topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Oktibbeha County awards Osborn Road bridge contract and moves to partner with MDOT on federal bridge bundle
Summary
The Board awarded the Osborn Road bridge contract to Glass Construction, authorized contingent bid advertisements for two other bridge projects, and directed staff to draft a resolution to partner with MDOT to pursue federal Competitive Highway Bridge Program funding for bundled bridge replacements.
The Oktibbeha County Board of Supervisors on May 28 approved awarding the Osborn Road bridge replacement contract to Glass Construction after bid tabulations for Project LSBP-53(19) came in well below the engineer's estimate. County Engineer Clyde Pritchard said the contractor's bonding process will likely delay the physical start by about one to one-and-a-half months and that the project will be funded solely with state aid.
The Board also authorized advertising for bids on the Sherman Drive box culvert (LSVP-53(18)) and the Sun Creek Road bridge (SABP-53(04)) on the condition that required right-of-way certification and final State Aid approvals are filed. Pritchard noted current cost estimates for the Sun Creek structure now exceed $1 million, compared with slightly more than $900,000 for two prior twin structures, and provided a rough structural baseline of $6,000 to $7,000 per foot.
Separately, County Administrator Wayne Carpenter and the County Engineer outlined a strategic shift to pursue federal Competitive Highway Bridge Program funding by partnering with the Mississippi Department of Transportation (MDOT). The board unanimously directed staff to prepare a formal intent and assistance resolution for the June 1 meeting to allow MDOT to bundle multiple county bridges—specifically targeting two aging metal truss spans on Morgantown Road—for a federal application that would reduce local design costs.
The actions taken are procedural approvals contingent on required State Aid concurrence and, in the case of bundled federal applications, subsequent selection by competitive federal programs. The Board did not authorize construction to begin until bonding and State Aid concurrence are complete.
