Multi-bridge project aims to extend county bridge lifespans

Highway Superintendent Gary Kruger and Chris Dyer from United Consulting introduced a multi-bridge project during a regular commissioners meeting on Monday, Aug. 18. Dyer explained that in their recent work with counties, they are finding a lot of increased costs for labor and materials. In light of this, he said they are trying to find ways to extend the life of bridges so they don't have to be replaced as often. He noted that for certain bridge types they can use a waterproof membrane plus an overlay on top to help seal the surface off and prevent water from seeping down into the beams, which helps extend the bridge lifespan. Dyer said this will be their fourth community crossings bridge overlay contract where they find a selection of bridges and perform this work as cost effectively as possible. The project would consist of 16 bridges and is planned to occur next year. It is currently in the works to try to get this funded through a Community Crossings Matching Grant (CCMG) with a 20% match from the county. The window to submit applications is Oct. 1 through Oct. 31. Kruger confirmed that he did put this in his budget for community crossings next year.