PWF Road bridge reconstruction on track for May completion

Motorists in Southeast Nebraska can rest assured that a construction project on part of a well-traveled road has the green light, and this part of the project is expected to be completed within a few months.

A bridge on the PWF Road connecting Fairbury to Pawnee and Wymore stood for decades. But late in 2024, that bridge was identified as in desperate need of repairs, or outright reconstruction.

Jefferson County opted for that second option, and county officials said this month a new bridge is on track to be installed by the end of May.

"The construction on our PWF bridge is going well, it’s amazing when you have good weather through the winter months how much progress you can make. So right now we’re looking at a projected bridge completion of sometime in May," Jefferson County commissioner Mark Schoenrock said in a county board meeting earlier in February.

Once construction on the bridge near the Jefferson and Gage county lines has completed, construction can then begin on the eastern half of the PWF Road itself, a stretch of road that has long been in need of repairs.

NDOT will be facilitating that project, with 8.5 million dollars of the cost covered by federal funding. The remainder of the cost - roughly three to four million dollars, Schoenrock estimated - will be rolled into a county bond, with the cost spread out over the next 10-15 years.

Jefferson County officials say they plan to open up bids for the PWF Road in July, with construction to begin shortly after that.

"I’m on the NDOT project management team, and I’m gently pushing everybody along to keep things going, but right now things are looking good," Schoenrock said."We don’t see any snags in the plan – I mean, something could still come up to snag it, but right now we’re looking pretty good for this summer."