Osage County authorizes 2026 routine bridge inspections with CFS engineers

The Osage County Commission on Aug. 25 approved moving forward with the county’s 2026 routine bridge inspection and SNBI data collection with CFS engineers by consensus.

Road & Bridge Director Ryan Fine (introduced to the commission during correspondence) told commissioners the county is responsible for roughly 220 off-system bridges and that inspection frequency depends on condition: “anything that’s on the fracture or critical side, it has to be inspected every two years,” while most routine inspections occur on a four-year cycle. Fine said the county had reduced its bridge inventory from a prior high and is working with staff to update the county website to reflect current bridge counts.

Commissioners and staff discussed the statewide inspection program and reporting timetable. Fine described the post-inspection report as a detailed, photo-rich document that catalogues priority repairs and helps the county rank projects. A commissioner summarized the board’s direction as consensus to pursue the contract and data collection with CFS engineers.

The county did not take a roll-call vote on the contract during the meeting; staff said they will bring final documents forward for signature and scheduling. The commission asked staff to keep the county website and the public informed about inspection outcomes and any near-term closures or repairs.