BEDFORD – The Commissioners Tuesday morning signed contracts to begin working on Lawrence County bridges.
The commissioners signed contracts to execute the county’s bridge inspections, to begin work on bridge 138 on Oolitic Road, and to purchase the easements needed to repair Bridge 150 on Mill Creek Road.
Design plans for work on Bridge 172 on Cement Plant Road continue for both replacing the bridge and road realignment.
Community Crossing funds will be used to repair Bridge 138 on Oolitic Road. The total cost to replace the deck is estimated at $750,000. Once work begins, Highway Superintendent David Holmes said it should take about three months to complete. Bids for the project will be advertised on December 21 with work beginning sometime next year.
“We will get the DNR permits needed in March and hopefully will begin when school is out, but we will have to see,” added Holmes.
Highway crews are busy cutting brush and mowing and getting ready for the snow to fly.
They are also performing culvert work, but are having a hard time getting the materials needed.
“We can’t get the galvanized culverts and the costs have skyrocketed,” added Holmes. “The galvanized culverts have increased 350 percent and plastic has gone up 300 percent.”
Work is completed on Bridge 121 over Indian Creek on Williams Silverville Road. The repairs to the rebar on this bridge were performed by the contractors at no cost to the county.
Highway crews will be placing signs for a crosswalk at Bedford North Lawrence High School across Vocational School Road to the soccer and cross country fields. The lines for the crosswalk will be painted in the spring.
The Commissioners also approved two bids for asphalt, one bid for fuel, two bids for oil, and five bids for stone.
