Commissioners approve guardrail grant application and engineering contract for county bridges

The McPherson County Board of Commissioners voted Sept. 14 to apply for a state High Risk Rural Roads cost‑share grant to replace or upgrade guardrail at four bridge locations and to approve a contract for engineering and inspection services on Bridge Number 075010.

Public Works Director Dave said the grant requires a 15% county match for construction and that, based on preliminary estimates, the county's share would be about $190,000 while the state would provide roughly $510,000. He asked staff to submit the grant application before the Sept. 24 deadline and to solicit letters of support from townships and local emergency providers. The board approved proceeding with the grant application and preliminary design work.

Separately, the board approved the county signing a contract with Kirk & Michael for engineering and inspection services on Bridge No. 075010; the contract total was listed at $106,778 with the county's portion of construction or inspection costs estimated near $16,000. Commissioners approved the contract and an amendment to cap costs at the stated amount before staff executes the agreement.

Next steps: staff will submit the grant application, pursue letters of support from townships, and finalize the engineering contract so design and inspection can proceed in advance of project bidding and construction.