BEATRICE – This coming year, Gage County will be able to address two replacement projects, thanks to a state program the county has had past success with.


Nebraska Department of Transportation officials recently announced that two bridges, located in western and northern Gage County, will be eligible for assistance under the Nebraska Bridge Match Program.
One of the two old bridges to be replaced this coming year with concrete box culverts is located on West Chestnut Road…..in far western Gage County…..just east of DeWitt. Two fatality accidents have happened at that bridge in recent years. It has an 18-foot wide deck over a deep channel.


The second project is on South 82nd Road…near Cortland….just over a mile south of Nebraska Highway 41. Chestnut and South 82nd carry significant traffic.

Bridge on South 82nd Road
Bridge on South 82nd Road  


Under the Bridge Match Program, Gage County Board Chairman Erich Tiemann said there is state funding assistance of up to 55-percent, to a cap of $250,000….for projects that are bundled together. That type of price break for the county enables such work to go forward.


"So, instead of the county coming up with a million dollars, we're basically going to be in that half-million dollar range. Some of that, perhaps could be self-performed work also that saves a little more money. It's all about leveraging the dollars that we have, and trying to get the most bang for your buck."


Tiemannn says the county has a list of bridges that are worn out, failing, load-rated or narrow. "If you think about it, there used to be a lot less traffic on all the county roads. Your big grain trucks were what people called a farm truck...a two ton truck or two-and-a-half ton truck, with a single axle. Maybe somebody gets a tandem, and they're really up town. Now we have semis....seven-axle semis running all over the place. They need to get to market from the farm. Well, the farm no longer has seven-thousand bushel bins. We have small commercial operations on each farm place any more....so, you're increasing the amount of commodity you produce, you're increasing the amount of storage on the farm...and you're also increasing the speed you can move it. So, all of our infrastructure needs to be updated."


Tiemann says the county has replaced several short-span bridges with metal culverts…but with the more expensive replacements, that’s where the Bridge Match program is critical to counties.


The Chestnut and South 82nd Road projects….officials are hoping to bid in the spring…..with construction possible in the second half of 2025.