Gage County officials approve amended one-and-six-year road plan
BEATRICE – The Gage County Board Wednesday approved the county’s short and long-range road plan for this year. Two additions were made by amendments…the river bridge project going on along West Dogwood Road….and a future mill and overlay resurfacing of South 25th Road between Nebraska Highway 41 and the Pickrell Road.
Supporters promoting new paving for a three-mile stretch of South 162nd Road at the west edge of Virginia spoke in support of keeping that project on the radar. It is included on the longer-range portion of the plan….estimated at about $700,000. Area resident Tracy Zimmerman, who lives along the road, said residents are seeking grant support for that project.
"We just ask, respectfully ask that you guys do your part. We know that we're going to need to raise funds for this. We need to be actively encouraging...and what we can do to help you guys, too. It's not all on your shoulders. We're trying to our work...I'm going to try to do my part, on this, as well."
Paving the gravel stretch would complete a hard-surfaced connection with Nebraska Highway Four. Rick Clabaugh of Beatrice, who owns property in the area of the road…attended a recent Virginia Village Board meeting with a representative of the Southeast Nebraska Development District. He said a half-dozen funding possibilities were discussed.
"Right at the top was a grant that would require the village to be 84 people...and I think the village is probably at 74, or 75 right now. We're kind of going at the angle right now that we need more population in Virginia in order to get some of these grants and revolving loans. We're kind of working toward that, right now. One of the local realtors is checking on lots in Virginia...and there appears to be four or five lots that may be buildable. We have one in particular that has a couple of lots who is willing to sell them both at a really reduced price, to help the project get going."
Gage County Board Chairman Erich Tiemann said it would be great to see more development in the smaller villages of the county.
The bulk of projects in the first year of the construction schedule are for bridge replacements or culvert projects. It also includes a major bridge replacement project just south of Clatonia. Projects included over the entire plan for the one-and-six-year schedule are estimated at a total of $25.87 million.