Gage County eyeing next major bridge project

BEATRICE - Heading into another road and bridge construction season, a major project looms for a southeast Nebraska County in the months ahead.
Officials hope to replace a narrow bridge on Southwest 100th Road…a half-mile south of Clatonia…not far from a railroad crossing.

"We've been preparing for that over the last several years. Unfortunately, it needs a major...not repair, but replacement, so we anticipate that being bid this year, at least."

The bridge spans Clatonia Creek diagonally, with curves in the road both north and south of the structure.  Gage County Board Chairman Erich Tiemann says like past bridge projects completed near Adams, Holmesville and in Wymore…it’s an expensive undertaking.

"About $750,000, which means probably closer to 850 or $900,000...plus the approaches and everything else, so I could see that being a million dollar project."

There’s a variety of possible funding sources…a road and bridge sinking fund, money from a state bridge-match program…surface transportation funding for approaches to the bridge….and inheritance tax revenue. Taking the angle out of the bridge as it spans the creek, may be cost-prohibitive.

"The reason it's there is to make it the shortest distance over the creek. If we turn that, there's additional excavation and everything else that goes with that. It's still on the board for consideration, though."

Some smaller bridges can be replaced with metal culverts or concrete box culverts. But in this case, the channel is too large.

"It carries a lot of water, potentially. The way that works, you have to plan for that hundred-year flood, so that one is going to have to be replaced with a bridge. It's a decent span...it's not quite 150-feet, but somewhere in that area, I believe."

Southwest 100th in a heavily used road connecting with Clatonia, a village of about 230 in the northwest part of Gage County.