Regional task force warns Daniels County on changing bridge priority; county seeks switch

A regional bridge-funding task-force representative told Daniels County officials that their request to swap the county's top 5.36-funded bridge would complicate previously obligated allocations and could mean Daniels County falls out of the current funding pool unless additional dollars are found.

The task-force speaker (S7) explained that allocations were made based on the counties' stated priorities and bridge condition scores and that the team had effectively obligated funds to the county's original pick. "If we unobligate those and let you change your priority, where you land on the money list may change," the task-force representative said. The county asked the task force to advocate for the change, arguing local inspection showed the alternate bridge was more heavily used and in worse condition than the original selection.

Task-force staff said they would evaluate the county's request and try to advocate for Daniels County, but cautioned that the alternate bridge carries higher estimated costs (the transcript cited a $1.5 million estimate versus a $1.0 million allocation for the original pick) and that accommodating the change could require reallocating funds or finding supplemental dollars. One agency representative also said a roughly $600,000 payment to Daniels County was "in the mail," which may help bridge shortfalls while the task force reviews the request.