(Clarinda) -- An upcoming bridge project in Page County has received a financial boost from a federal grant program.
Page County Engineer JD King announced at the county supervisors meeting Tuesday afternoon that the Redwood Avenue bridge over the Neely Branch had received a grant through the U.S. Department of Transportation's Competitive Highway Bridge Program. King says the award will cover a good portion of the costs to replace the aging structure built in the 1960s north of Clarinda.
"We're getting funded with $1.2 million in extra bridge money and then we'll take some of our bridge money to match and work the rest of it out," said King. "But we have acquired extra bridge money through that program and we've done the survey."
However, King says the project is likely still a couple of years down the road due to all of the projects in "the bundle" submitted to the program by the Iowa County Engineers Association needing to be bid at the same time.
"The bundle consists of a bridge in Pottawattamie County and two bridges in Guthrie County--we're the only counties that have successful applications in the southwest corner, so we're all together in a bundle," said King. "We have to have the letting at the same time. So, the letting is tentatively scheduled for mid-year 2027 or early 2028. But, it's several years away."
Plans call for replacing the existing structure with a concrete beam bridge spanning 188 feet and 30 feet wide, estimated at $1.7 million. At a previous meeting, King said the structure was beginning to show its age.
"It's in poor condition and there's severe corrosion on the abutment piling, probably due to anti-icing chemicals used over the years," said King. "This bridge was built in 1962, it's 157 feet long and 28 feet wide between the curbs, and it's a four steel beam bridge that's getting to the end of its useful life. Although it's not weight limited yet, we don't want to let it deteriorate to it where it is weight limited."
While the bridge might not be utilized by everyone in the county, King says the grant funds open up other dollars for projects across the county.
"Overall, if we get money for this bridge," he said, "then there's more Page County bridge money available for other bridges in the other parts of the rest of the county."
In other business Tuesday, the board approved a rock petition from Bryan Whitehead on a half-mile of B Avenue, approved moving forward with the bid letting on the new parking lot for the annex building, and awarded the Veterans Affairs building painting project to Suite Life Painting out of Council Bluffs for $4,270. Suite Life Painting submitted the low bid among three proposals for the painting work.
This story comes from our partners at KMA Radio.